Tennis
French Open
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Jannik Sinner faces Carlos Alcaraz as the men’s singles final rounds off the 2025 French Open in Paris today.
The clash between the contrasting styles of world No. 1 Sinner and defending champion Alcaraz (2) promises to be a mouthwatering encounter on the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Yesterday, superstar American Coco Gauff, 21, fought back to win against the top seed Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to win her second Grand Slam title and her first major at Roland Garros.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and the French Open final that neither player will lose
Carlos Alcaraz had himself a loud night in Paris on Tuesday. On a day when quarterfinal opponent, Tommy Paul, was hampered with injuries, Alcaraz reminded the world just how immaculate his tennis can be when it’s on.
After a week of matches that were sort of meh, by his standards anyway, Alcaraz put on a display of finesse, drop shots and sprinting forehands that probably no one could have touched.
When he is on, he doesn’t need to try to play supposed-to tennis. So he doesn’t. He turns the tennis court into an experiment lab.
After 90 minutes of scintillating tennis, and beating Lorenzo Musetti in the semis, Alcaraz is in another Grand Slam final against Jannik Sinner on a surface the Italian is still trying to master.
And all of a sudden, he’s playing like… that. Good luck today, Jannik.
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Carlos Alcaraz sends a thunderclap across the French Open in rout of Tommy Paul
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Around an hour until play gets underway on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
We've got plenty of build-up, quotes, stats, and expert insight and analysis from our crack team of tennis writers and reporters on the ground in Paris before then, and continuing into the final.
So don't go anywhere!
It's been five years since the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have met in the men's singles final at Roland Garros.
That was the Covid-19 pandemic 2020 French Open final in the fall, where Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be the latest No. 1 and No. 2 slam final matchup in Paris today.
And the last time the top two seeds met in the final for both men's and women's singles at the French Open was all the way back in 1984!
You may have heard already — but we have our own tennis podcast at The Athletic these days.
The Tennis Podcast is now part of our audio stable. Catherine Whitaker, David Law and Matt Roberts have been podcasting after every day of this year’s French Open.
And they did again yesterday, following that women’s singles final, reviewing the action and looking ahead to today's men's singles final.
You can listen and subscribe by simply clicking right here, right now. Enjoy!
Journalist Bastien Fachan has pointed out something very cool on X.
Namely, that iconic Spanish player Rafael Nadal was 22 years, one month, and three days old when he won his fifth Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz, who has four majors, is 22 years, one month, and three days old today.
A sign from above?
When it happens, a hush descends over the tennis court. There’s a split second in which the crowd realizes the rhythm of the point has been irrevocably altered. A tennis high-wire act has begun, and Carlos Alcaraz and his drop shot are on the tightrope.
While it may look treacherous, the drop shot is not as risky as it looks for Alcaraz, who is its most effective exponent on the ATP Tour. He wins the point when he plays it 60 percent of the time, according to data from Tennis Viz.
It’s especially effective on clay, the surface for the second Grand Slam of the year. The drop shot has always been important, but it was recently considered a bit of a last resort.
Alcaraz himself believes timing is everything. “You have to find the great moment to do it, because it is much better to do a not-great drop shot but in a great moment than a pretty good drop shot in not a good moment,” he said recently.
His superpower is his ability to disguise the shot — to make it look like he’s about to unleash a 100mph forehand before changing his grip and feathering over a drop shot.
On the clay courts of Roland Garros, the drop shot will be key. Sinner should be ready for an onslaught — whether he can stop it is another matter.
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Drop shots in tennis go from eccentric to essential, with some help from Carlos Alcaraz
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And this image, to me, summed up one of the great things about Coco Gauff: her humility.
Among the ballboys and ballgirls who sacrificed their summer to run the lines, she handed the gleaming silver trophy over to one of the kids, who held it aloft disbelievingly.
Then she posed for this joyous snap above. A moment they will never forget.
📸 Credit: Dimitar Dilkoff for AFP via Getty Images
Bonjour everyone and bienvenue again to our live coverage of a massive final day at Roland Garros.
No doubts, it's been a fabulous Grand Slam tournament so far — and yesterday’s women's singles action was a lot of fun (unless you’re from Belarus).
The men take center stage today.
In the meantime, the build-up continues…
This picture from yesterday, Coco Gauff prone on the ground, shot clock in the background spelling out exactly how long she'd had to empty herself for.
Stunning.
📸 Credit: Alain Jocard for AFP via Getty Images
The red clay at the French Open is a living, changing thing.
Playing on it is a dialogue and a dance between the players, the ball, the court— and the weather.
In Paris in spring, the conversation is like no other, and every tennis match on clay is different.
Below, you can read how and why.
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Tennis on clay courts: The unpredictable dance of sun, rain, wind and brick dust at Roland Garros
While Sinner's run to the final is as follows. Zero sets dropped. Formidable.
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Four sets dropped on the way to the final for Carlos Alcaraz.
Firstly, we should direct you to our live coverage from Saturday's action, where you can recap everything that happened, play-by-play, in gloriously full detail.
As the below article will tell you, Coco Gauff fought back to beat Aryna Sabalenka in a titanic French Open final.
Gauff, the second seed, lost a tiebreak at the end of an impossibly close opening set in Paris, but battled back to claim her second Grand Slam title, winning 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
GO FURTHER
French Open final: Coco Gauff beats Aryna Sabalenka to win second Grand Slam title
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The women's doubles final is also on today, also on Philippe-Chatrier.
In that match, the unseeded Aleksandra Krunić/Anna Danilina take on Italian duo Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani (2).
The mixed doubles was wrapped up on Thursday as Evan King and Taylor Townsend of the United States were beaten in straight sets by Errani and Andrea Vavassori, 6-4, 6-2.
While the men's doubles finished yesterday with victory for a veteran duo.
Horacio Zeballos, 40, and Marcel Granollers, 39, the fifth seeds, beat Brits Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski (8) in three sets, 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5.
As aforementioned, it's the men's singles final on the main show court, Philippe-Chatrier, at 9 a.m. ET, 2 p.m. BST.
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Roland Garros, Paris, France
The imposing stadium complex is in the 16th arrondissement (district) of the French capital city.
Court Philippe-Chatrier, Suzanne-Lenglen, and Simonne-Mathieu are the show courts here.
It’s the only major played on clay and is a staple of the tennis calendar every year.
It’s a busy time in the sports world — and there is no let up in the scheduling as spring becomes summer.
It is NBA Finals time as Game 1 of the season-defining series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers lived up to the hype on Thursday night.
Over in the soccer world, the European club seasons might be over but we have the Club World Cup and Women’s Euros to look forward to.
Plus the Formula One and MLB schedules are continuing and Wimbledon isn’t far away either.
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