Novak Djokovic is through to the French Open final after Carlos Alcaraz was hit by injury in their first ever grand slam meeting.
The match was fascinatingly poised at one set all when Alcaraz pulled up with a leg issue at 1-1 in the third. From there, Djokovic won nine games in a row as he sealed a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory in over three hours to move a step closer to a men’s record 23rd grand slam title.
It doesn’t tell the full story in what was an absorbing contest from the start, with Djokovic and Alcaraz reaching a stunning level as the most-anticipated match of the year delivered a thrilling battle over the first two and a half hours of play.
But the turning point came as Alcaraz was hit by physical issues. The 20-year-old could barely move and was unable to recover despite taking several medical timeouts. Although Alcaraz battled on, the match was over as a contest and Djokovic will now face Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final after last year’s runner-up crushed Alexander Zverev in straight sets.
Follow live reaction from Djokovic vs Alcaraz in the French Open semi-finals, below:
