It may as well have been the slogan for the entire event, in the semifinals of the French Open, Carlos Alcaraz revealed that the key to winning clay court tennis matches was to enjoy the suffering. On Sunday afternoon, and then, as evening spread over Roland Garros, there was more suffering than enjoyment. But in the end, the Spaniard prevailed and won the third major of his ascending career, beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2.
In a strange, mercurial and episodically brilliant match, Alcaraz overcame both himself and his opponent. If he did not achieve the peak level he displayed winning his other two majors, he showed a remarkable ability to turn a tennis match into a chess match, make subtle adjustments and reset after some inexplicable lapses.
Alcaraz won the first set 6–3, important given that he was trailing Zverev 4–5 in their head-to-head coming into the match. He then dropped the second set, as his level dipped. In the third set, he was up 5–2, on the cusp of a commanding 2–1 set lead, and then lapsed again losing five straight games. He recovered to win the fourth 6–1 and closed out the match with perhaps his best tennis of the afternoon.
