Alcaraz advances to Roland Garros final after Musetti retires

Carlos Alcaraz moved to within one victory of successfully defending his title at Roland Garros on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired in the fourth set of their semi-final clash.

The 22-year-old Spaniard led Musetti 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, 2-0 when the Italian ended the match after two hours, 25 minutes. At 0-5 in the third set, Musetti called for the physio to receive treatment on his upper left leg. After that, he continued reaching for his leg and was eventually unable to continue.

“It’s never great getting through or winning a match like this,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “Lorenzo is a great player. He has had an incredible clay season. [He is] one of the few players who achieved at least the semi-finals at all the biggest events on clay. I think just four players had done that before… I always wish him all the best, a quick recovery, and hopefully we are going to enjoy his tennis pretty soon.”

Wishing @Lorenzo1Musetti a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/9Zw64USUUd

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 6, 2025

Alcaraz, who is aiming to extend his perfect 4-0 record in Grand Slam finals, will face his rival Jannik Sinner in a must-see championship match. The second seed is the fifth-youngest player to reach five Grand Slam finals in the Open Era, and third active male player to achieve that feat after Novak Djokovic (37) and Daniil Medvedev (6).

Competing under a closed roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Alcaraz signalled his intent with an aggressive position from the start: He stepped inside the baseline and struck big from both wings. Yet while Musetti produced an impressive response to soak up the power and take the opener, Alcaraz stuck to his game plan and eventually delivered some of his finest shot-making en route to consecutive finals at the clay-court major.

“The first two sets were really tough,” said Alcaraz. “I had chances to break his serve in the match. I couldn’t make the most of them. He was playing great tennis. When I won the second set, there was a little bit of relief, and then in the third set I knew what I had to do at the beginning: Just push him to the limit and try to be aggressive. Not let him dominate the game more and just be myself.

"I was calmer. I could see more clearly and could play great tennis at the beginning of the third set.”

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Alcaraz improved to 6-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Musetti, including two wins en route to ATP Masters 1000 titles in Monte-Carlo and Rome this year. He now owns a 33-2 record on clay since last May, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Musetti can also reflect on a stellar clay swing this year, highlighted by becoming the fifth player to reach the semi-finals of all clay ATP Masters 1000 events and Roland Garros in the same year after Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.