Alcaraz reaches French Open final

PARIS: Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final as Lorenzo Musetti retired injured from their last-four tie on Friday, ahead of world number one Jannik Sinner´s clash with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

World number two Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0, 2-0 in the fourth set under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof when Italian Musetti called it quits due to an apparent thigh injury. “It´s never great to go through or win a match when it´s like this,” said the 22-year-old, who has never lost a Grand Slam final.

“He´s done an incredible clay season. I wish him all the best, a quick recovery and that he´ll be back soon.” Alcaraz will aim to win his fifth Grand Slam title against either Sinner or Djokovic, who meet in the second semi-final, on Sunday.

He beat Sinner in five sets in last year´s semi-finals, but has lost both of his meetings with Djokovic at Roland Garros -- in the 2023 semis and last year´s Paris Olympics final. “It´s been three intense weeks and now I have one step to make,” he said. “I´ll give everything on Sunday, I´ve been playing great tennis this tournament.”

Musetti saved break points in the first and seventh games before grabbing a one-set lead with a break in the 10th game. The duo traded breaks early in the second set, before Alcaraz secured a chance to serve it out and level the match. Instead, he was broken to 15 as Musetti produced some inspired shot-making to force a tie-break.

The Spaniard raced through the breaker, though, taking his third set point when Musetti fired an attempted passing shot into the net. Alcaraz continued that momentum into the third, striking quickly to open up a 2-0 lead.

Musetti could not deal with the power coming from the other side of the net and briefly received treatment on his left thigh. Alcaraz went on to romp through the set, in which eighth seed Musetti mustered only five points, in just 22 minutes.

Musetti surrendered another break early in the fourth set as Alcaraz thumped a forehand return into the corner, and the 23-year-old immediately headed to the net to shake his opponent´s hand.

Djokovic continues his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title in the second semi-final against Sinner, who is looking to reach his first French Open final. Sinner has stormed into the last four without dropping a set while Djokovic impressed in a four-set win over last year´s runner-up Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.

Top seed and three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner takes on the most successful man ever to play the sport in a rivalry that connects one generation to the next.

Sinner, 23, and Djokovic, 38, have split their eight meetings, but the Italian has won four of the last five matches to signal the undeniable power shift in men´s tennis. Sinner is riding a 19-match winning run at Grand Slams as he chases a third successive major title, looking to go a step further at Roland Garros than last year´s semi-final loss to Alcaraz in five sets.

“(Djokovic) has shown now in the last period that he is back to the level,” said Sinner. “It´s going to be... very, very difficult. He´s such an experienced player, 24 Grand Slams. I think that says everything.”

A week before Roland Garros, Djokovic had not won a single match on clay this year. But after capturing his 100th ATP title in Geneva and arriving at the French Open battle-tested, the Serbian has steadily hit his stride. The three-time Roland Garros champion is two wins away from a record-breaking 25th major to move him out in front of Margaret Court, but he is aware of the magnitude of the task ahead.