Lorenzo Musetti's injury gave Carlos Alcaraz a ticket to the Grand Slam final for the 5th time

Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the French Open final on Friday. It is his second successive French Open final. Musetti withdrew from the semi-finals due to injury. Upon this, Alcaraz's entry into the final was assured. Spain's 22-year-old champion had taken a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 advantage over Musetti when Musetti withdrew from the game in the middle due to an injury in his left leg. The two-hour and 25-minute match ended prematurely.

Musetti, who stunned Novak Djokovic in the tournament, withdrew after taking a medical time-out at 0-5 in the third set. The Italian player got frustrated soon after the commencement of the game.

Alcaraz said in his statement, "It is never great to win in a match like this. Lorenzo is a great player. His season has been incredible. I always wish him all the best, he gets well soon. Hopefully, we will enjoy his tennis soon." With this, Alcaraz has entered the Grand Slam final for the 5th time, making him the 5th youngest player to achieve this feat in the Open Era. Among active players, only Novak Djokovic (37 finals) and Daniil Medvedev (6) have played more finals than him.

Despite losing the first set, Alcaraz kept his composure and maintained his aggressive baseline position under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier. He eventually outclassed Musetti with precise hitting and excellent movement, especially after winning the second set in a tiebreak. After that, it was a one-sided match.

"The first two sets were really tough. When I won the second set, there was a little relief, and then in the third set, I knew what I had to do. Just had to test his limits and try to be aggressive. Not let him dominate," admitted Alcaraz.

Undefeated in Grand Slam finals (4-0), Alcaraz is awaiting the winner of the other semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. It is a blockbuster match. Spain's Alcaraz said he will not miss it. "This match is one of the best in tennis right now. Sinner vs Djokovic, I am going to watch it, I am going to enjoy it. Obviously, I am going to learn tactics from that match," Alcaraz said with a smile.