French Open: Alcaraz downs Sinner to reach final

Paris: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz recovered from a woeful start to beat an inconsistent Jannik Sinner 2-6 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 and qualify for his maiden French Open final after a see-saw encounter on Friday.

The third seed was a shadow of his brilliant self in the opening set before making the most of his Italian opponent’s premature cramps to level before the bizarre match went into a decider.

Australian Open champion Sinner, who will take over as world number one next week, bowed out when he returned a massive forehand down the line wide on the third match point on court Philippe Chatrier.

Double Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who is hoping to add to his Wimbledon and U.S. open titles, will face German Alexander Zverev or two-time runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway on Sunday.