Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the two best players we have in tennis right now, and on Sunday (June 8) they’ll go head to head in the French Open final. This won’t be their first meeting or even their first final, but it will be the first Grand Slam final they contested, and as such, it’s a big deal.
Sinner has been amazing all event long. Alcaraz has been equally impressive, so this is the final that fans deserve. So let’s take a closer look at what might happen in this match.
Alcaraz vs Sinner: Previous matches
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Sinner got his first win at Wimbledon in 2022, beating Alcaraz without too many problems. The first massive one came at the US Open not long after that, and it was a tremendous battle between two players that were heading to stardom. Alcaraz won it in five sets and ended up winning the event.
The next spectacular one came at the 2024 French Open, where Alcaraz once again outplayed Sinner, beating him in five sets. He then went on to win the event, but Sinner will have a chance to get revenge this year, as they’re meeting again—only this time in the final.
They contested three finals so far, and Alcaraz won two of those, which is something to keep in mind. He’s generally been better than Sinner overall, but only slightly. The Beijing final, for example, was a match that Sinner was inches away from winning, but he didn’t. And if he did, he’d be 2-1 in finals against Alcaraz, which changes the perception quite a bit.
Either way, we’re talking about two of the best players right now, so in that sense, it’s the best possible final we could have gotten.
Alcaraz vs Sinner: Preview
When it comes to what might happen in this match, it’s really tough to say. There are universes out there where either could win this match. What we do know is that neither is going to win easily. Whatever happens, we’re going to get a battle. On one side, we have the supercomputer Sinner, who simply does things perfectly to beat you.
Carlos Alcaraz is the player who arguably has the higher ceiling, but also tends to complicate matches at times more than he needs to. He’s dropped sets this year, nearly dropped two sets against Dzumhur, who really isn’t a player who should be giving him too much trouble.
So to put it simply: Sinner won’t beat himself but will need to beat Alcaraz, while Alcaraz has all the capabilities to beat himself. In fact, it’s more likely that he will beat himself than Sinner will beat him.
The Italian has been steady and doing just enough to win his matches. At times he plays good, at times he plays okay, but overall, he’s just doing enough things to win. Alcaraz has looked far more impressive than Sinner at times. He’s also looked quite a bit worse than Sinner, and that’s ultimately what will decide the match.
What allowed Alcaraz to win the event last year is that he managed to not beat himself. He was in problems against both Sinner and Zverev, but he remained steady and was able to rise above those problems.
If he does that again, then he is likely to win this match because on clay at least, he’s the superior player—provided that he’s playing his best. So the match is definitely on his racket. If he shows up with his best and doesn’t beat himself, then he is likely to win the match.
Sinner will need some of his best tennis to win the match and a bit of help from Alcaraz. It’s statistically more likely than the other thing, but that’s what makes this truly a toss-up matchup. Both have equal chances to win the match, and whoever does will be the deserving winner.
It’s a fantastic matchup between two great players, so fans should enjoy, as this is truly the pinnacle of men’s tennis right now. The world number one and the world number two going head to head. Alcaraz as the defending champion going for back-to-back titles, while Sinner is hunting for his maiden Grand Slam trophy on clay. Sunday, June 8th. Enjoy.
