Clay. Grass. Hard. It doesn’t matter the surface – Carlos Alcaraz (UTR Rating 16.23) can now officially call himself a Slam winner on each.
Alcaraz completed the trifecta on Sunday, claiming his maiden Roland Garros title for his third major championship, to go alongside his 2023 Wimbledon and 2022 US Open trophies.
The 21-year-old is now the youngest man – and just the seventh overall – to capture a Slam on three surfaces, besting his countryman Rafael Nadal who achieved it at age 22.
It took five sets for Alcaraz to take the title in Paris, winning 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 over Alexander Zverev (UTR 15.95). The match lasted four hours and 19 minutes.
UTR Sports INSIGHTS: Men’s Draw
Alcaraz had been considered the favorite heading into the final, with UTR Sports Insights predicting a 67 percent chance of victory for the Spaniard. Going into the major, Alcaraz was the third-favorite to win, behind Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Predicted Winner: (1) Carlos Alcaraz (16.23)
Best Performer: (LL) Jozef Kovalik (14.56), performed like a 14.92 (+0.37) over 3 matches
Biggest Upset: (LL) Jozef Kovalik (14.56) d. (18) Karen Khachanov (15.79)
UTR Accuracy: 101 / 125 (80.8%)
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Jannik Sinner Seals ATP No. 1 Ranking
In the semifinals, Alcaraz bested the new ATP No. 1, Jannik Sinner (who was already No. 1 on the UTR Ratings, currently at 16.31). He also had to come back from two-sets-to-one down in that one, in another four-hour-plus duel before Alcaraz pulled off the 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 triumph. Sinner, the 2024 Australian Open champion, has only three losses this year – two at the hands of Alcaraz.
Alexander Zverev Falls Short, Again
Still looking for his first Slam is Zverev, now a two-time major runner-up. With three consecutive semifinal finishes at Roland Garros prior to this year, the world No. 4 was able to take it one step further thanks to a four-set win over No. 7 Casper Ruud (16.03) in the semifinals. Ruud had been aiming to make his third straight final in Paris.
Zverev, who entered Paris on a high after winning the Masters 1000 crown in Rome, also defeated Nadal in the first round. Rounding out the quarterfinal field were Novak Djokovic (UTR 16.17), Alex De Minaur (UTR 15.95), Stefanos Tsitsipas (UTR 16.03), and Grigor Dimitrov (UTR 15.82).
De Minaur, Tsitsipas Continue Strong Seasons
Djokovic sustained an injury in his fourth-round win, which prompted him to withdraw ahead of the quarters, giving Ruud a walkover into the semis and officially giving Sinner the No. 1 ranking.
For De Minaur, he matched his best-ever Slam finish (2020 US Open) with a four-set upset over Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16. He ultimately lost to Zverev.
For Tsitsipas (l. Alcaraz) and Dimitrov (l. Sinner), both ATP Tour champions this year and Top 10 seeds in Paris, it was a continuation of their strong play this season.
The man of the fortnight though was Alcaraz. Just a month after his 21st birthday and with three Slams to his name, Alcaraz is already Hall of Fame material – and he’ll be aiming to keep adding to his growing legacy as the ATP Tour moves next to grass courts.
Junior Roland Garros Round-up&
In junior action, Kaylan Bigun defeated Tomasz Berkieta to win the boys’ title on Saturday, becoming the first American junior male to win in Paris since Tommy Paul in 2015.
Bigun is playing his last summer of junior tennis before starting his college career at UCLA. The 18-year-old has competed on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour to develop his skills, competing in Bradenton in 2022 and 2021.
In the girl’s final, Tereza Valentova defeated Laura Samson in the first all-Czech junior final in Grand Slam history. Valentova is the third Czech girl in the last four years to win Roland Garros (Linda Noskova, 2021, and Lucie Havlickova, 2022).
