The French Open final showdown is set for Sunday and Carlos Alcaraz will face Alexander Zverev in the final after the two progressed from Friday’s semi-finals.
In the first semi-final, Carlos Alcaraz shrugged off a ropey start to take out Jannik Sinner in five sets before Sascha Zverev overcame a similarly shaky start to take out an ailing Casper Ruud in four sets.
Below are the match stats, highlights, and a quick semi-final recap.
French Open 2024 Semi-Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alaraz (3) | Jannik Sinner (2) | 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Alexander Zverev (4) | Casper Ruud (7) | 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 |
Alcaraz Suppresses Sinner to Make Final
Carlos Alcaraz is into his maiden Roland Garros final after a hard-fought victory over Jannik Sinner, winning 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Friday.
In the most anticipated semi-final, both players struggled initially, but Alaraz, in particular, looked overwhelmed in the early stages as Sinner raced into a 4-0 lead before capturing the set 6-2.
However, the Spaniard seized control when Sinner suffered hand cramps in the third set, with the match finely poised at 1 set all, after Alcaraz had upped his game in the second set.
Despite the setback, Sinner rallied to take the third set, but after that, his game didn’t quite have that pop, and Alcaraz found an extra gear in the fourth, displaying his trademark intensity and precision to level the match.
In the decisive fifth set, Alcaraz broke Sinner early with a powerful forehand winner and maintained his momentum, ultimately securing the victory after four hours and ten minutes.
Did the match live up to expectations? I’d say not really. The first set was weak for Alcaraz, as he struggled to find the court, and I thought Sinner showed off some quality movement.
However, you always felt Alcaraz had more strings to his bow on the clay. By the end of the proceedings, he had struck 65 winners compared to Sinner’s 39, which made him the worthy winner. On the clay, I feel he’s the stronger of the two.
You have to find the joy suffering. That is the key, even more here on clay at Roland Garros. Long rallies, four-hour matches, five sets. You have to fight, you have to suffer but as I told my team, you have to enjoy suffering. The toughest matches that I have played in my short career have been against Jannik. The US Open in 2022, this one. Jannik is a great player. The team he has as well and the great work he puts in every day and I hope to play him many, many more matches like this against him. One of the toughest matches that I have played for sure. AlcarZ on his rivalry with Sinner.
Match Stats
| Carlos Alcaraz | Jannik Sinner | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 8 | 7 |
| Double Faults | 7 | 8 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 66% | 56% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 66% (68/103) | 74% (56/76) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 46% (25/54) | 46% (27/59) |
| Break Points Saved | 40% (4/10) | 57% (8/14) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 26% (20/76) | 34% (35/103) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 54% (32/59) | 54% (29/54) |
| Break Points Converted | 43% (6/14) | 60% (6/10) |
| Winners | 65 | 39 |
| Unforced Errors | 58 | 44 |
| Net Points Won | 59% (16/27) | 63% (24/38) |
| Max Points In Row | 7 | 8 |
| Service Points Won | 59% (93/157) | 61% (83/135) |
| Return Points Won | 39% (52/135) | 41% (64/157) |
| Total Points Won | 50% (145/292) | 50% (147/292) |
| Max Games In Row | 5 | 4 |
| Service Games Won | 74% (17/23) | 73% (16/22) |
| Return Games Won | 27% (6/22) | 26% (6/23) |
| Total Games Won | 51% (23/45) | 49% (22/45) |
Highlights
Zverev Rules The Roost Against Ruud
Like Carlos Alcaraz just a few hours prior, Alexander Zverev is into his first Roland Garros final, overcoming two-time finalist Casper Ruud 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in his fourth semi-final attempt.
Previously, Zverev had fallen short in the last four at the clay-court major in 2021, 2022, and 2023, including a straight-sets defeat to Ruud at this stage last year.
However, under the lights on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 27-year-old German who ended his show trial in Germany today with a settlement that essentially proved his innocence recovered from a slow start to dispatch the Norwegian.
Zverev played a solid match. Apart from the tame start, during which he looked frustrated with his racket/string tension, he found more of a groove and began forcing Ruud to hit extra shots and take aggressive swings off both wings.
From the third and fourth sets onwards, Rud struggled with stomach cramps, was visibly bent over on the baseline, and appeared physically strained during changeovers. He even avoided a handshake at the end of the match, which means he thinks he has a virus rather than anything physical.
With his 34th tour-level win of the season, Zverev became the second German man to reach the Roland Garros final in the Open Era, following Michael Stich in 1996.
I thought the first two sets were very high level. End of third set I saw he started to move a bit slower. That is normally how it is when you are not feeling quite well. But his shots are still the same. So if you look at how he moves and all that and if you start to be a bit more passive, he is going to win the match. Credit to him to play until the end and fight until the end. He is a great champion and a great person. Zverev on his win over Ruud.
Match Stats
| Casper Ruud | alexander ZVerev | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 19 |
| Double Faults | 0 | 4 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 67% | 68% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 69% (49/71) | 86% (48/56) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (14/35) | 54% (14/26) |
| Break Points Saved | 58% (7/12) | 33% (1/3) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 14% (8/56) | 31% (22/71) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 46% (12/26) | 60% (21/35) |
| Break Points Converted | 67% (2/3) | 42% (5/12) |
| Winners | 34 | 54 |
| Unforced Errors | 25 | 24 |
| Net Points Won | 86% (19/22) | 63% (12/19) |
| Max Points In Row | 7 | 7 |
| Service Points Won | 59% (63/106) | 76% (62/82) |
| Return Points Won | 24% (20/82) | 41% (43/106) |
| Total Points Won | 44% (83/188) | 56% (105/188) |
| Max Games In Row | 3 | 3 |
| Service Games Won | 71% (12/17) | 88% (15/17) |
Highlights
French Open 2024 Final
- Alexander Zverev (4) vs Carlos Alcaraz (3)
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