Carlos Alcaraz Storms Into French Open Final as Musetti Retires Injured

What a dramatic afternoon it turned out to be at Roland Garros. I’m talking about the highly anticipated semi-final between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti. It was billed as one of the must-watch matches of this French Open—and it absolutely delivered, at least for the first two sets. In the end, it was Alcaraz who advanced to the final, but not in the way anyone would’ve hoped. Musetti, trailing two sets to one and 0-2 in the fourth, was forced to retire due to a leg injury.

Now, let’s rewind for a moment and talk about the quality of tennis we witnessed early on. Musetti came out sharp. He grabbed the first set 6-4 with composed shot selection and fearless aggression. He was serving well, and more importantly, he looked like he truly believed he could beat Alcaraz this time. That’s a big mental hurdle, especially given that Alcaraz had already beaten him twice this season on clay.

But Alcaraz, the defending champion and second seed, didn’t panic. He found his rhythm in the second set, though it was still neck and neck. Both players exchanged breaks, but the Spaniard edged the tie-break 7-3. That seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders. And from there, things changed.

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Alcaraz entered a zone. The third set was pure dominance—he bagelled Musetti 6-0 in just 22 minutes. It wasn’t just about Musetti struggling physically at that point; it was also about Alcaraz playing flawless, high-pressure tennis. His aggressive forehands and defensive retrievals had Musetti scrambling all over the court.

Unfortunately, as the fourth set began, it became painfully clear that Musetti’s movement was compromised. He had taken a medical timeout at the end of the third set for a thigh issue, and by the time he went down 2-0, the Italian knew he couldn’t continue. He walked to the net and offered a handshake that signaled the end of his French Open dream—for now.

After the match, Alcaraz was respectful and empathetic. He said, “It’s never fair. I want to win but not like this. Lorenzo is a great player, and I wish him a speedy recovery.” It’s clear that while Alcaraz was happy to move forward, he genuinely felt for his opponent.

Now, Alcaraz turns his attention to Sunday’s final, where he’ll face either Novak Djokovic or world number one Jannik Sinner. He mentioned he wouldn’t miss that semi-final clash and plans to take tactical notes—because let’s face it, any match involving Djokovic and Sinner is tennis gold.

With four Grand Slam titles already under his belt, Alcaraz is chasing his second consecutive French Open crown. He’s in top form now, brimming with confidence, and if he continues to play like he did in sets two and three today, he’ll be hard to stop.

One thing’s for sure: Sunday’s final is going to be electric. Whether it’s another classic showdown with Djokovic or a fresh battle against Sinner, Alcaraz is just one step away from sealing yet another piece of tennis history.

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