French Open 2024 semi-final result: World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz edges incoming World No.1 Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster five-set epic on Court Philippe-Chatrier

Carlos Alcaraz comes through an epic encounter with the man who will be the new World No.1 on Monday to book his spot in a first ever Roland-Garros final.

The 21-year-old serves it out on a third match point to conclude a rollercoaster epic in four hours and nine minutes to become the youngest ever player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces.

Two-time major winner Alcaraz will now play in his third Grand Slam final on Sunday where he will meet the winner of Alexander Zverev versus Casper Ruud.

For Sinner, it was unlucky 13 as the Australian Open champion’s 12-match winning run in majors in 2024 was ended by a man who is likely to be his biggest rival for the sport’s elite prizes in the years ahead.

This was another fascinating encounter to add to their growing rivalry with Alcaraz now 5-4 ahead in the match-up.

There's a glimmer of hope for Jannik as Carlitos looks nervy trying to finish the job off.

The Spaniard stares at the line hoping for the mark to be out as the Italian makes his move with a rasping strike at 0-30.

The No.3 seed rescues the situation with an ace and service winner to turn it around and tee up match point.

Sinner goes for broke and a booming forehand takes it to deuce!

Alcaraz finds another huge, wide serve to lure the return long and it's a second match point.... but the forehand is way long...

Drama until the end!

Sinner keeps Alcaraz at arm’s length with a routine game to 30 that he was always in charge of.

It’s the calm before the storm and a case of now or never if he’s to stay in the tournament.

Alcaraz will serve for a spot in the final.

Alcaraz wows the crowd again with a forehand down the line from ‘down town’ Paris, but Sinner keeps battling and hits back from 40-15 to deuce when he punishes a weak lob with an emphatic overhead.

The Italian wants to be there if the No.3 seed blinks, but the 21-year-old stares the spectre of pressure coldly in the face and nails a pair of clutch serves to move within a game of the final.

Sinner wastes little time serving out an efficient game to love as he looks to stay firmly in contention entering the final chapter of this thriller.

Alcaraz flips the button to clutch mode on serve to battle back from 0-30 but then hooks a miss-timed backhand way, way long to keep Sinner interested at deuce.

The Spaniard plays a wrong-footing, disguised drop shot that feathers the top of the net and decides to carry on over.

Sinner keeps the heat on briefly but an improvised drive volley while back pedalling puts Carlitos in charge again and the Italian lashes long off the backhand to let him off the hook.

It’s a must hold for Sinner and the stakes get even higher when Alcaraz again forces him to sweat at 30-30.

The Italian responds this time as he thunders a do-or-die forehand down the line and grinds out a hard-fought hold.

He’s on the board but Alcaraz is playing lights out tennis at the moment and he’s going to need another big plot twist for his RG dream to stay alive.

Sinner digs in to try and make something special happen at 30-30.

It does – but it comes off Alcaraz’s racquet.

The Spaniard unleashes a flurry of quite ridiculous forehands to come out on top in a high-octane rally and then shows that deftness at the net to consolidate and establish himself as red-hot favourite to reach the final from here.

Is Sinner finally showing signs of the fatigue?

He wrestles control of a bruising rally in the opening point of this service game but then drags a tired-looking backhand into the tramlines.

On Eurosport Comms, Simon Reed suggests he needs to lean on that big first serve to shimmy out of trouble....

He can’t, but he’s relieved to get a donation when Alcaraz swings long off a second serve.

The Spaniard still manages to turn the screw with a terrific drop-shot/lob combo and he gets his reward for digging in when Jannik blazes a forehand into the net.

It’s a big, big moment but Sinner conjures up his own drop-shot winner to make deuce.

The soon-to-be World No.1 plays a serve-plus one that would be good enough against most opponents, but not Carlitos. The two-time major winner somehow claws a sensational crosscourt winner from low in his left corner and then finds a massive forehand deep to the baseline that tees up another one down the line to seal the first break of the decider.

Alcaraz makes sure that serving first secures him the scoreboard advantage as he begins this one-set shoot-out with a solid hold to 15.

The Spaniard was a blur at the net in what proved to be the final point, showing sharp reflexes to outfox Sinner and pop away a winning volley.

Sinner looks comfortable when he takes charge with a venomous mid-court forehand and a bullet first serve.

The game then turns when Alcaraz somehow claws back a backhand jab down the line with an incredible defensive lob and is able to dart to the net to volley away the winner.

Sinner then contrives to hammer a bounce smash wide and Alcaraz seizes the moment with a beastly backhand down the to snare set point.

Sinner throws everything at a big forehand trying to force deuce, but leaves the court wide open, and Alcaraz is able to push a winner back across court and take us into a decider!

Alcaraz releases the frustration of a seventh double fault with a barrage of massive forehands to swing the pendulum of the game his way.

There’s a fun exchange at the net that the No.3 seed wins with a clever volley down the middle before there’s a brief pause at 40-15 as someone is taken unwell in the crowd.

When they resume the Spaniard dumps a tame forehand into the net before Sinner ends matters on a low note when he drags an awkward backhand into the tramlines.

Sinner’s first serve is gunning in this fourth set and he barely looks troubled.

The Italian even throws in a perfect drop shot of his own as he quickly achieves parity with a routine love hold.

This match was hyped up as potentially something special and now it’s finally delivering.

There have been momentum shifts and lulls throughout the three and half sets, but it feels like both players are hitting some heights right here, right now, and the spectacle has gone up a notch.

Alcaraz takes the spotlight in this game as he follows up a sizzling crosscourt backhand pass with a trademark drop-shot of incredible guile.

The No.3 seed is over-confident with an angled volley at the net but puts himself on the path to a hold to 15 when he somehow reaches Sinner’s thunderbolt far to his right and sizzles his own magnificent winner down the line.

Alcaraz hammers a bounce smash into the net at 15-15 but still turns the screw with a bewitching crosscourt pick-up to a velvety dropper.

Sinner needs to deliver at 30-30 but comes up trumps with a seventh ace before he shows Carlitos how to do it with a composed bounce smash to finish.

‘Vamossss…’ is the cry and follows the vapour trail of the Spaniard’s seventh ace of the semi final.

It’s an emphatic full stop to an intriguing game with Alcaraz surviving a near miss off Sinner’s forehand at 0-15 to race through the gears and take charge with an exquisite stun volley before the big finale.

Sinner isn’t showing too many signs of wear and tear despite the possibility of an issue earlier.

He’s landing the first serve more effectively and clocks up a sixth ace as he levels again with a hold to 15, despite a sensational, solitary return-winner riposte from his opponent.