By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Carlos Alcaraz denied match point in the fourth set and roared back from a break down in the fifth edging Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7(7), 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4.
Photo credit: Getty
Four hours into a fierce fight, Carlos Alcaraz turned the greenhouse court into a hothouse of crackling comeback electricity.
The 19-year-old Spanish phenom lit up Paris in the process.
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A defiant Alcaraz denied match point in the fourth set and roared back from a break down in the fifth out-dueling Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-7(7), 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4, in a glorious all-Spanish battle at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz exuded pure passion for the fight and closing power slashing successive aces to seal a four hour, 34-minute triumph in style.
"I believe in myself in the whole time, you know," Alcaraz said afterward. "Of course it was tough, saving match ball is always tough, but I believe in myself."
It was Alcaraz’s 12th straight clay-court conquest, and it didn’t come easy. Alcaraz raised his 2022 record to 30-3, including a sparkling 18-1 mark on clay.
Next up is an enticing showdown with the only man to defeat Alcaraz on clay this year—Sebastian Korda.
The 27th-seeded Korda must beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3 to set up a rematch with Alcaraz.
In Monte-Carlo last month, Korda defeated Alcaraz, who was coming off his victory over Casper Ruud in the Miami Open final, 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3. The 21-year-old Korda has had an up-and-down clay season reaching the Estoril semifinals and suffering opening-round exits in Barcelona and Rome. But Korda owns the weapons to pose problems for Alcaraz and figures to be fresher after spending two hours, 19-minutes on court against Gasquet today.
Major questions surrounding the Madrid champion as he arrived in Roland Garros were: How would the teenager playing just the sixth Grand Slam of his career respond to the rigors of best-of-five-set matches with a bulls-eye on his back as one of the favorites?
This comeback can be a springboard for Alcaraz, who was frustrated by veteran left-hander Ramos-Vinolas’ slice serve on the ad side. Alcaraz converted just eight of 31 break points, compared to Ramos-Vinolas’ efficient 6 of 7 break-point conversions.
Despite repeated frustration, Alcaraz kept his cool, continuously fired himself—and fans feasting on the drama in the intimate Simonne Mathieu Court—with shouts and fist pumps and made some ridiculous running strikes that left fans awestruck and Ramos-Vinolas applauding.
Saving a match point at 4-5 in the fourth set, Alcaraz roared back from 0-3 down in the decider with a four-game run fueled by some jaw-dropping sideline-to-sideline sprinting gets sparking a wild finish.
"You always have nerves in the match, but I think today I didn't be nerves, nervous in the match," Alcaraz said. "Just maybe at the end of the fourth when I [faced] the match point, maybe thought that, well, you are one point, you lose, but just try not to think that I'm in the French Open.
"I'm trying to enjoy the moment. I think that in the fourth set, and in the fifth, I smile with my team. So I enjoy that battles. I want to play big battles and tough battles against the best players in the world."
A crafty Ramos-Vinolas played with patience and precision as he broke the teenager for a 5-4 fourth-set lead.
Serving for the match, Ramos-Vinolas staved off a break point when Alcaraz sailed a return beyond the baseline.
The world No. 44 leaned into his two-hander and lashed it crosscourt for match point. Running around his backhand, the Spanish veteran had precisely the shot he wanted but pressure prompted him to tighten up. Ramos-Vinolas slapped a flat forehand into the middle of the net giving his opponent new life.
A recharged Alcaraz back-pedaled and unleashed an audacious 130 mph bounce smash that sizzled into the corner clattering off the back wall for another break point. The teenager raised a clenched fist toward coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
This time, the left-hander shoveled a running backhand into net as Alcaraz broke back to level the fourth set after 10 games.
Three of the previous five sets the pair played were decided in tiebreakers with Alcaraz winning all three breakers they played pretty comfortably.
Ramos-Vinolas’ forehand failed him in today’s breaker as consecutive forehand errors gave Alcaraz a 3-1 lead. Pumping a pair of crackling forehand winners extended the teenager’s lead to 5-2. Alcaraz, who won 34 of 47 trips to net, snapped a high forehand volley for set points. Smacking a serve winner, Alcaraz forced a final set after three hours, 44 minutes.
Shrugging off lost opportunity, Ramos-Vinolas was more stable at the start taking a 3-0 lead in the final set.
Four hours, 10 minutes into this frenetic battle, Alcaraz made a stunning sideline to sideline sprint shoveling a running one-handed backhand pass down the lie to break back for 2-3 in the decider.
A sliding Alcaraz completed the shot so far off the court he nearly wound up in the lap of the line judge sitting against the side wall. Whirling his index finger to exhort the crowd after a sensational strike, Alcaraz rode that fuel forward during a four-game surge.
The 34-year-old Spaniard was understandably reeling from a draining four-hour fight, while his teenage opponent was energized.
Creeping up close to the baseline to take a serve on the rise, a leaping Alcaraz lasered a forehand return winner down the line breaking for 4-3.
There were still more twists to come as Ramos-Vinolas coaxed a netted forehand to break back and level after eight games.
An aggressive, all-court player at heart, Alcaraz showed superb defense to break back. Like a committed lifeguard running to retrieve a troubled swimmer, Alcaraz careened corner to corner in a crazy rally that saw him rely on sheer speed and desire to finally prompt a netted volley from the veteran.
Alcaraz’s sheer refusal to concede created the break for 5-4 and left a shattered Ramos-Vinolas flinging his Babolat racquet at net in anger.
Alcaraz threw down his ninth and 10th aces to complete a gritty comeback.
"I feel tired," Alcaraz said. "We fought until the last point. I'm so happy with the performance today.
"Of course I'm so happy to live the experience in front of you guys. Thank you very much."