Saturday, June 7

Sports Mole previews Sunday’s French Open final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, including predictions, head-to-head and their tournament so far.

Court Philippe-Chatrier will witness something special on Sunday when defending French Open champion and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz seeks to defend his title at Roland Garros against No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner.

Both pre-tournament contenders, earmarked as the present and future of men’s tennis, face off for the first time in a Grand Slam final, with the second seed aiming for a fifth consecutive victory over his friendly rival to notch his fifth Slam, while the Italian strives to claim his first big title on clay and fourth Major overall.

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Match preview

A cursory glance at Sinner’s straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic on Friday might lead some to scoff at the ease with which the top seed dispatched the 24-time Grand Slam champion; however, the semi-final was far from plain sailing, despite the No. 1 player’s 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) victory.

The tussle lasted three hours and 16 minutes under the lights on Philippe-Chatrier, with the Italian superstar claiming his fourth consecutive win over the Serb to advance to a maiden Roland Garros title match.

Although the 23-year-old, who had not given up a break point opportunity to the 100-time ATP champion in their previous two meetings in Australia and Shanghai last year, was finally broken, the three-time Grand Slam winner refocused to claim the final two games of the second set and ultimately prevailed in straight sets for the sixth straight win in Paris.

Sinner’s reward for a sixth consecutive victory in three sets in the French capital is another contest with Alcaraz, whom he faced in the Rome final three weeks ago in his return tournament following a three-month doping suspension.

As the first Italian to reach the title match at Roland Garros since Adriano Panatta in 1976, and the second overall in the Open Era, he is also the youngest player (23 years and 282 days) to advance to three or more consecutive Grand Slam finals since Pete Sampras (22 years and 158 days) between Wimbledon 1993 and the Australian Open in 1994, seeking to end his losing streak against his competitive rival.

The top seed's confidence should be bolstered by an ongoing winning run at majors, which improved to 20 after Friday's win over Djokovic, with the Italian now unbeaten in leading events since losing to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-final at Wimbledon 11 months ago.

However, Alcaraz is the one player who has the measure of the top seed, whose involvement in Sunday's final marks his eighth consecutive tour-level championship match.

The Spaniard may not be as flawless as Sinner in dispatching opponents, but he not only holds a 4-0 record in Slam finals, he currently leads the Italian in their rivalry, having won their last four encounters, including last month’s Italian Open finale in Rome.

While beating the world No. 1 on home soil improved the Spanish sensation’s clay-court record to 15-1, a further six wins in the French capital mean that the 22-year-old enters this weekend’s championship match with a record of 21-1, having lost only to Holger Rune in Barcelona.

Including last year’s run to the title in Paris, Alcaraz’s silver medal in the Olympic Games, and this year’s clay-court performances, the four-time Grand Slam champion boasts a 33-2 record on the dirt, underscoring his consistency as the defending champion of the French Open.

Aiming to become the first man since Rafael Nadal to reclaim the crown at this venue, the fifth-youngest player to reach five finals in the Slams during the Open Era must secure his 22nd victory on clay this season to clinch his fifth major and etch his name further into history.

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Tournament so far

Jannik Sinner:

First round: vs. Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-3 7-5 

Second round: vs. Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-0 6-4 

Third round: vs. Jiri Lehecka 6-0 6-1 6-2  

Round of 16: vs. Andrey Rublev 6-1 6-3 6-4 

Quarter-final: vs. Alexander Bublik 6-1 7-5 6-0

Semi-final: vs. Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6[3]

 

Carlos Alcaraz:

First round: vs. Giulio Zeppieri 6-3 6-4 6-2 

Second round: vs. Fabian Marozsan 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2 

Third round: vs. Damir Dzumhur 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4 

Round of 16: vs. Ben Shelton 7-6[8] 6-3 4-6 6-4 

Quarter-final: vs. Tommy Paul 6-0 6-1 6-4

Semi-final: vs. Lorenzo Musetti 4-6 7-6[3] 6-0 2-0 ret

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Head To Head

Italian Open (2025) – Final: Alcaraz wins 7-6(5) 6-1

China Open (2024) - Final: Alcaraz wins 6-7[6] 6-4 7-6[3]

French Open (2024) - Semi-final: Alcaraz wins 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3

Indian Wells Masters (2024) - Semi-final: Alcaraz wins 1-6 6-3 6-2

China Open (2023) - Semi-final: Sinner wins 7-6[4] 6-1

Miami Open (2023) - Semi-final: Sinner wins 6-7[4] 6-4 6-2

Indian Wells Masters (2023) - Semi-final: Alcaraz wins 7-6[4] 6-3

US Open (2022) - Quarter-final: Alcaraz wins 6-3 6-7[7] 6-7[0] 7-5 6-3

Croatia Open (2022) - Final: Sinner wins 6-7[5] 6-1 6-1

Wimbledon (2022) – Fourth round: Sinner wins 6-1 6-4 6-7[8] 6-3

Paris Masters (2021) - Second round: Alcaraz wins 7-6[1] 7-5

Alcaraz has established a lead over Sinner in their head-to-head, with the defending champion ahead 7-4 entering their 12th meeting on the ATP Tour.

The 22-year-old unsurprisingly leads 2-1 in clay-court encounters, winning the last two in Paris and Rome after succumbing to defeat in the Umag title match three years ago.

Despite leading 4-3 at the start of last year, the Italian No. 1 lost all three meetings with the four-time Grand Slam champion in 2024 and was defeated again in Rome on May 18, losing to the second seed in straight sets after saving set points in the opener.

While that meeting was against a somewhat undercooked Sinner, Alcaraz will be facing an opponent who has had sufficient competitive match action leading up to Sunday’s title match in Paris.

This year's French Open encounter will be their fourth at a Major and second consecutive Slam contest at Roland Garros; Alcaraz leads 2-1 in such matchups, having won the last two in five sets — the US Open 2022 and French Open 2024 — having lost the pair's first meeting at the prestigious event in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2022.

Another five-setter might be to the top seed's detriment, considering the Spanish player holds a career 12-1 record when Grand Slam matches go the distance, having lost only to Matteo Berrettini in the third round of the 2022 Australian Open; he enters Sunday's title match in Paris with a nine-match winning streak in five-set battles.

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We say: Sinner to win in four sets

One gets the impression that Sinner must avoid a fifth set against Alcaraz, who has not lost a five-setter in three years, to enhance his prospects of a maiden Roland Garros triumph.

Having lost four in a row to the Spaniard, the top seed, who has played clinical tennis over the last fortnight, is expected to avoid a fifth consecutive defeat to the second seed and leave with the Coupe des Mousquetaires. ID:574424:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect10278:

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