ROLAND GARROS. Paris. By Leo Canaparo
Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to the Roland Garros final and will seek to defend his title after a thrilling comeback victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.
The World No. 2 and reigning champion in the Bois de Boulogne triumphed 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when Musetti, currently ranked No. 7 in the ATP rankings, was forced to retire due to a left leg injury. It was a gripping contest on Court Philippe Chatrier, where Alcaraz had to dig deep to overcome a red-hot Musetti, who is currently enjoying the best stretch of his career.
Musetti came out firing, taking the first set in just 48 minutes. But as so often, Alcaraz found a way to rebound from a slow start. The second set proved pivotal, with the Spaniard edging it in a tense tiebreak, 7-3. From there, the match swung entirely in his favor.
Musetti began to visibly struggle with a thigh issue midway through the third set, and after just two games in the fourth, he was forced to retire.
“It’s never easy or nice to win a match this way,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview.
Attention now turns to the other semifinal, where his final opponent will be decided between two of the sport’s powerhouses: Novak Djokovic (ATP No. 6) and Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz’s rise is the latest chapter in a long and proud Spanish legacy at Roland Garros. The greatest of them all is, of course, Rafael Nadal, who holds a record-shattering 14 titles in Paris, dominating the clay like no one else in tennis history. Before him, Sergi Bruguera claimed back-to-back titles in 1993 and 1994, while Carlos Moyá (1998), Albert Costa (2002), and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003)—Alcaraz’s current coach—also lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires. Spain’s deep tradition on clay continues to thrive, and Alcaraz is proving to be its modern-day torchbearer.