I was there: Carlos Alcaraz's comeback in French Open final is still hard to comprehend

"For three hours and 43 minutes Sinner had dominated Alcaraz and he earned three championship points while leading 5-3 in set four. Just before the Italian's second championship point, I thrust up my phone and took a quick photo before my hand returned to my laptop, ready to file immediately an article that hailed his third consecutive major title and first triumph in Paris. Instead, it would take another hour and 46 minutes for a winner to be decided on Court Philippe-Chatrier in June."

"What unfolded was one of the greatest comebacks and matches as Alcaraz returned from the abyss to produce an astounding 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory. Even now, six months removed from that day, it is difficult to fully comprehend those events in Paris. For hours Alcaraz had been outhit and outplayed by his biggest rival and the then world No 1 in a major final. His dire unforced errors to fall 0-40 down at 3-5 in set four seemed to seal his fate."

"By the time he closed out his service game for 4-5 with an outrageous running forehand winner, the energy inside the stadium had shifted and the crowd met the moment spectacularly. The stadium shook as most of the 15,000 present punctuated every successful point from Alcaraz with roars of encouragement and delight, to which the Spaniard responded by cupping his ears, pumping his fists and doing everything in his power to take advantage of their encouragement."

The French Open final extended nearly six hours as Carlos Alcaraz recovered from deep deficit to defeat Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2). Sinner dominated for much of the match, earning three championship points and leading 5-3 in the fourth set. Alcaraz erased a 0-40 gap at 3-5, stabilized his game, and seized momentum with daring winners. The crowd rallied for Alcaraz, amplifying the shift in energy as he cupped his ears, pumped his fists, and refused to cede control en route to a historic comeback. The match is regarded as one of the greatest comebacks and highlighted Alcaraz's resilience and capacity to perform under extreme pressure.

Read at www.theguardian.com