Carlos Alcaraz rules Roland Garros, renews a Spanish tradition
Hindustan TimesThe Coupe des Mousquetaires does land in the hands of a Spaniard, after all. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy after winning the men's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Germany's Alexander Zverev at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, June 9 Carlos Alcaraz, the heir apparent to Rafael Nadal, is fast spreading his command. He’d just battled over four hours and beaten Alexander Zverev 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the final for his first French Open title and third Grand Slam. For the German, a lot hinged on his big first strike but with the first serve win percentage down to 48% for the set and Alcaraz turning up with his bagful of tricks — groundstrokes, drops, volleys, slices — the opening set lay emphatically in the Spaniard’s bag. Alcaraz held the edge and experience in one-set shootoffs in a Slam final; he’d won his lone fifth-setter for the Wimbledon title and Zverev had lost his to surrender the 2020 US Open title.