Sunday was a remarkable day of tennis at Roland Garros. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain became just the ninth tennis player in the Open Era to win a grand slam men’s singles final down two sets to none. Alcaraz beat world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy, 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. Sinner lost despite having three match points in the fourth set and serving for the match up 5-3 in the fourth set. This was Alcaraz’s fifth major title and second straight at the French Open.
Let’s take a look at the eight other men’s tennis players to win a major down two sets to none in the final.
Bjorn Borg
Borg of Stockholm, Sweden won his first of 11 grand slam titles in dramatic fashion at the 1974 French Open. Borg, the third seed, defeated the 14th seed, Manuel Orantes of Spain, 2-6, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1. After losing the first two sets, Borg only lost two games in the next three sets.
Ivan Lendl
Lendl of Ostrava, Czechoslovakia won his first of eight majors at the 1984 French Open. Lendl, like Alcaraz, was the number two seed, and beat the number one seed. Lendl’s win came over American John McEnroe in a 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. 7-5 win.
Andre Agassi
Agassi of Las Vegas, Nevada, the 13th seed, won the career grand slam by winning the 1999 French Open. This was his fourth of eighth grand slam titles and only French Open win as he beat Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine in the final, 1-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Medvedev was unseeded.
Gaston Gaudio
In an all Argentinian final at the 2004 French Open, Gaston Gaudio of Temperley, beat Guillermo Coria of Rufino, 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6. Gaudio is the last unseeded player on the men’s side to win a grand slam title. This was Gaudio’s only grand slam title of his career. Coria was seeded third.
Dominic Thiem
Thiem became the first Austrian to win the US Open in 2020 for his only grand slam title. The second seed from Wiener Neustadt beat fifth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6. This was the only time a player at the US Open in the Open Era came back two sets to love down to win the title.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic of Serbia, seeded first, won his second of three French Opens in 2021 in dramatic fashion. He beat Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. This is Djokovic’s 19th grand slam title, and became the first player to win all four majors at least twice.
Rafael Nadal
The King of Clay won his second last major of his career in an amazing style. Nadal of Spain defeated Daniil Medvedev of Russia 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the final of the 2022 Australian Open.
Jannik Sinner
Two years later Daniil Medvedev lost the 2024 Australian Open men’s final again after being up two sets to none. This time Medvedev lost to Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who won his first of three career majors, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.
