French Open live updates: Deciding set for Sinner vs Alcaraz in ...

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 3-1 Jannik Sinner*

A couple of first serves for Sinner for the issue and Alcaraz can’t force a return for either.

But the first time he does return, he works a volley at the net to get back to 30-15 and then goes cross-court with Sinner at the net to make things a little nervy for the Italian.

Sinner responds. A sharp serve and follow-up right on the baseline before a forehand winner restores his lead. Sinner repeats the trick on his backhand and he tucks away his first game of this deciding set.

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 3-0 Jannik Sinner*

Beautiful drive backhand down the line, 30-0 up from Alcaraz, who looks in control, physically, tactically and emotionally.

Sinner responds, of course he does, drop shot following drop shot, and Alcaraz nets with his attempted angled pass for 30-15. But he clips the net again! 30-all...

Too good from Alcaraz. Sinner's astounding defence kept him in it but Alcaraz's forehand sends Sinner the wrong way, and another filthy drop shot makes it five games in a row.

Sinner needs to stop the rot.

*Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 2-0 Jannik Sinner

Super serve and volley at the net from Sinner, 15-all. Alcaraz goes 30-15 down but nods knowingly at his box. Cryptic.

So cheeky from Carlos, he brings Sinner in with an impish drop shot, then lobs him to perfection, the Italian chasing it back all the way before realising he can't get there.

Oh, makeable forehand down the line with the court open and Sinner nets. Break point. That is a hell of a brave shot at break point down, fifth set in a Grand Slam semifinal against the quickest man on tour.

A wonderful drop shot from Sinner, his second such winner to Alcaraz's six. Deuce. Whoah, an unbelievable cross-court backhand passing shot to give him advantage. He was on the slide there, literally, Alcaraz, but digs it out brilliantly.

And he sends Sinner the wrong way with a forehand to break! Four games in a row for the Spaniard...

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 1-0 Jannik Sinner*

Alcaraz, serving first, of course, takes the first point, as he often has done today in his service games.

This is the first time in the 2024 French Open that either player has been into a fifth set, by the way.

A routine hold for Alcaraz first up. Is Sinner looking a bit fatigued?

Ambush from Alcaraz, who out of nowhere reeled off four points from 30-0 down to pinch the game and the set.

Neither player had had a break point in the set up until that point. Game on!

This morning, they re-visited Zverev’s domestic abuse case settlement news on Tennis Channel and I am surprised to hear how quickly they skipped past it. Admittedly the news is several hours old but I was expecting some analysis around how it might impact Zverev.

Frankly he has not seemed impacted by what could’ve been a major distraction off the court. “Now we can focus on the tennis” was Jon Wertheim’s final word on the matter.

Matt Futterman’s ‘this is getting awkward’ opener from back in January lingers in the air at Roland Garros.

Zverev is due to face Ruud after Alcaraz vs Sinner, and will have to wait for this first superstar matchup to end to show us he’s over this controversial rollercoaster. Will it have benefited his nerves, his anticipation, given that Sinner and Alcaraz are going the distance?

GO FURTHER

Alexander Zverev keeps winning. But nobody wants to talk about his domestic abuse trial

Have you ever tried to field a fly ball in baseball or make an out in cricket … when the sun is straight in your face?

You can put your hand up but you can’t see what’s behind your hand/glove and Sinner just got destroyed by the sun there at 30-15 in a game that ended in his service being broken and losing the set.

He missed a huge overhead as a result of that boiling ball of fire in the sky.

And how crucial could that prove to be?

*Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 Jannik Sinner

Sinner, 30-0 up, is pushed right back to the edge of the court's boundaries by Alcaraz, 30-15.

And, wow, he misses an eminently makeable overhand smash, 30-30. Huge point coming up.

And Sinner swipes a forehand wide! Break point and set point to Carlos Alcaraz!

Sinner is forced wide right and Alcaraz crashes it back to his left for a forehand winner, and the fourth set. Into a fifth here on Philippe Chatrier.

An epic, if not a classic, if that makes sense.

The fan who collapsed was right in front of us in the press box.

Thankfully he is conscious, and has just walked out of Chatrier, helped by two members of staff.

Sinner has had a lot of firsts in the last year - number one in the world, a major winner, and a Davis Cup trophy.

He also started utilizing the drop shot, previously perfected and made fashionable by none other than his opponent today, Carlos Alcaraz. He has hit so many good ones today.

It hasn’t always neutralized Carlos’ willingness to charge to the net but in addition to the serve, it’s what has kept him around today. And to have done it against Alcaraz is all the more outstanding.

Alcaraz may yet lose this match but his body language and his reaction to late-round turmoil is far better than it was at the Australian Open.

When he fell behind against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals there, he just started swinging wildly and seeming annoyed that he was somehow not getting handed a ticket to the next round.

There’s been not too much of that today. A little in the first set. But he’s pretty engaged at the moment.

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 5-4 Jannik Sinner*

Greek umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore has apparently been told that the fan in question is OK, and play can continue after a brief interlude.

Sinner gets back to 40-30 but drops it wide, gesturing with his racket to maybe indicate a bit of a breeze on court, and Sinner will have to stay in the set.

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 5-4 Jannik Sinner*

I really don't know who the crowd is more behind! At first, they were cheering on Alcaraz as Sinner dominated. Then, Sinner's points were being hailed as he looked to halt the Spaniard's temporary dominance.

Now both players are getting the applause. And why not? They both deserve it. Alcaraz is pumped up, big time, and a double fault can't put him off.

He gets to 40-15 after four brilliant shots in a row between the two players, one fantastic return after another.

Now, there's a pause in play at Roland Garros, with fans crowding round a spectator. More updates as they come

*Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 4-4 Jannik Sinner

Into the fourth hour of the match. Sinner starts with a big serve, then follows it up with a lightning-bolt forehand down the line. Alcaraz's shot wasn't even that bad! But Sinner made it look amateur.

Anything you can do, Carlos... Sinner sees Alcaraz's drop shot in the last game and raises. A big forehand to push him back, a perfect drop shot for 40-0.

Forehand return wide, hold to love.

You could feel the electricity around the court here after that Alcaraz forehand up the line.

Will that be the spark he needs after what’s often been an oddly passive performance so far?

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 4-3 Jannik Sinner*

Alcaraz is such a good player to watch. I mean, they both are. He rushes up to the net, and sends Sinner the wrong way with the cross-court backhand pass.

A horrible serve to face, it kicks up at Sinner, snorting with venom, and the tall Italian has to leap up to keep it in. Alcaraz then kills him with a choppy drop shot that was way, way better than it needed to be. Sinner wasn't within a prayer of getting there. 30-0.

Oh Carlos, that is stupidly good. What a forehand up the line. Sinner hit what looked a winner all ends up but Alcaraz got there and somehow slung a low-trajectory missile past a helpless Sinner's left side.

Genuinely incredible shot. He holds and yells his approval again as Chatrier rises to acclaim the gifted 21-year-old.

*Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 3-3 Jannik Sinner

A bit of a weaker second serve from Sinner but Alcaraz can't capitalise as he goes both wide and long, to his intense annoyance. Sinner error, 15-all.

No! Alcaraz pushes Sinner right into the corner, a good retrieval but Alcaraz nets the volley as it returns from the sky! His fifth unforced error this set, to Sinner's two.

Yes! He's an absolute mile behind the baseline but Sinner's drop shot isn't quite perfect, Alcaraz skates forward, glides forward, and pushes a wonderful acutely angled shot beyond him to his right.

Ace, and 40-30 to Sinner. Serve, forehand, overhand smash, game, and we're level.

Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 3-2 Jannik Sinner*

Inch perfect from Sinner. Brilliant angled forehand into the corner forces Alcaraz into the squash-shot defence, and he comes forward before slinging it back to the other side.

Clever from Alcaraz, spin and flight troubling Sinner, and the Italian goes long. 30-15 to Alcaraz. It's so important that he continues to disrupt his opponent's rhythm like that.

Brilliant defence from Sinner, but you need to be better than brilliant against this chap. Sinner into the splits, volleyed home, then a big ace.

Hold. He screams 'Vamoooos!' and we have a right match on our hands now.

*Carlos Alcaraz 2-6 6-3 3-6 2-2 Jannik Sinner

An unforced error from Alcaraz, his 40th so far to Sinner's 34, and he mutters away animatedly in his native tongue. 30-0, more advice dispensed from the Spaniard's box, and a big ace for 40-0.

Wow. Sinner is just a little off with the pace and placement of the serve, and with such little backlift, Alcaraz punches a bullet of a return past him. It's all for nothing as he goes long and Sinner holds to 15.

Alcaraz demonstrates his frustration, throwing his arms up in a very 'wronged Premier League footballer' kind of way.