It was the most open competition for the men’s draw of the French Open in twenty years. Rafael Nadal was supposed to make his final appearance at but he was defeated in the opening round. After having the worst start to a tennis season in years, Novak Djokovic traveled to Paris in an attempt to turn things around, but he had to withdraw before the quarterfinals due to an injury. After Djokovic won the French Open for the first time in 2016, a few bright young prospects were left to compete for the title of first-ever new champion.

Carlos Alcaraz stepped out of that melee on Sunday in Paris and made apparent what had felt improbable at first.

Alcaraz made history by defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, and 6-2 sets. This was Alcaraz’s third Grand Slam victory.

The fact that the 21-year-old Spaniard is the first male player to win his first three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces is further evidence of his remarkable versatility and athleticism. His other Grand Slams came at Wimbledon in 2023 and the U.S. Open in 2022.

Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Mats Wilander are the only six other men to have won Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces. Alcaraz is the only person who has done so prior to turning 22.

What may have mattered most, at least to the man holding the trophy, was that third-seeded Alcaraz’s victory over fourth-seeded Zverev highlighted the one area in which Alcaraz was not a first: Alcaraz ensured that Spanish flags flew high above the red clay on Sunday as Rafael Nadal concludes his career with a record 14 French Open victories. From the beginning of the open era in 1968, he is the seventh Spaniard to win at Roland Garros.

He accomplished this in a four-hour, 19-minute fight that began tensely and had dramatic momentum swings caused by unusual mistakes made by both players.

It makes sense that Alcaraz and his 27-year-old opponent were close. Both had particularly high stakes as they competed in their first-ever French Open final. Zverev, a strong contender who was playing the best clay-court tennis of his career at the start of the tournament, longed to heal two deep scars, and Alcaraz wanted to continue the Spanish tradition in Paris. Two of them were from the memorable U.S. Open final he lost to Dominic Thiem in 2020, when he was two points from winning the match, and the other one was from 2022, when he had to be wheeled off the court after tearing three ligaments in his right ankle during a semifinal match against Nadal.

In addition, he was performing at Roland Garros while a domestic abuse trial, which wrapped up in Germany on Friday, hung over him. In an out-of-court settlement “in order to shorten the process especially in the interest of the child they have together,” Zverev and his former partner—who accused him of physically abusing her during an argument in 2020—came to an agreement, according to a statement released by his lawyers to Reuters hours before his semifinal match.

After that, Zverev told reporters in Paris that he was done talking about the issue.

He entered the court on Sunday to play in his first Grand Slam final following his disappointment in New York, and he double-failed to start the Germany .

He later atoned for his mistakes, winning five games in a row and taking a two-sets-to-one lead after rallying from a 2-5 deficit in the third set.

However, in the fourth set, Alcaraz really got going. His kaleidoscopic game is his calling card, and against Zverev he used every tool in his arsenal, changing the direction and velocity of his groundstrokes while combining singing forehands with acutely angled volleys and well-timed approach shots. His trademark drop shot, which is the ideal balance of skill and cheek, repeatedly swerved out of Zverev’s reach.

In the fifth set, Alcaraz selected unrelenting aggression as his dominant strategy. Zverev served a double fault and then hit a long forehand in the third game, giving Alcaraz the break and a 2-1 lead, as the Spaniard applied relentless pressure. The next game, he rallied from 0-40 to save four break points and take a 3-1 lead with — wait for it — a drop-shot winner. That is when he felt fully empowered.

The mob roared, and for the first time in many hours, Alcaraz appeared completely in control as he raised his finger to his ear and demanded more commotion. He got it, broke Zverev at love to lead 5-2 and close out the match.

After winning, he collapsed onto the clay, smearing his shirt with blood, and rushed to embrace his family, teammates, and coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open winner. As a group, they acknowledged the obvious: Alcaraz’s era is just getting started.

Gauff and Siniakova secure the doubles crown.

At Roland Garros on Sunday, Coco Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam doubles title, and Katerina Siniakova claimed her ninth. The Italian duo defeated Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

After losing in the Roland Garros final in 2022 and the U.S. Open final in 2021, this was Gauff’s third attempt at winning a doubles trophy.

“Twos” Let us be honest, I never imagined that would happen to me,” Gauff remarked. “I believe that was one of the few occasions in my life when, following my defeats in the first two finals, I felt like, ‘Well, okay, I reached that point, maybe I should focus on singles.'” It is funny how life imparts lessons, like the one that sometimes it is best to just relax and good things will happen.”

Her chances were not harmed by her partnership with Siniakova. With a trophy from each of the four Grand Slam events, which she won at least once, and her January win of the Australian Open doubles trophy, the 28-year-old Czech woman owns a career grand slam in doubles. She and the 20-year-old Gauff teamed up for the first time in Paris on short notice following the American Gauff’s usual partner Jessica Pegula’s injury withdrawal from the tournament.