Angry Carlos Alcaraz out of trouble as Lorenzo Musetti retires from French Open semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz returned to the French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retired injured, sending the defending champion through to play Jannik Sinner on Sunday. Musetti, the Italian eighth seed, struggled with a left leg injury and quit the match after losing his eighth consecutive game, with Alcaraz progressing 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-0 2-0.

“Sad and disappointed on how it ended,” said Musetti, who was bidding to reach his first grand slam final. “But still a great match. I felt at the beginning of the third when I was serving, I started losing a little bit of strength on the left leg behind, and [it was] definitely was going worse and worse, so I decided to stop. I think it was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted.”

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Alcaraz was in a spot of bother, though, before Musetti’s movement became too hampered for the match to be competitive. The 22-year-old had to dig deep and raise his level in the key second-set tiebreak. Musetti was looking confident and enjoying his first French Open semi-final, with Alcaraz growing frustrated and desperately needing to snap himself into focus. He managed, and now awaits a blockbuster of a final against Sinner.

At one stage, it looked as if Alcaraz and Musetti were heading the distance, potentially delaying the later battle between the 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic and the World No 1. “The first two sets were really tough. I had chances to break his serve in the match and I couldn't make the most of it,” Alcaraz said. “He was playing great tennis. When I won the second set there was relief.”

It was hardly a violent explosion of anger, but Alcaraz seemed to wake up after kicking his bench in frustration when Musetti won an entertaining net exchange to lead 4-3 in the second. Musetti had resisted Alcaraz and was there to guide a volley down the line after the Spaniard had opened his legs for the tweener. It’s the sort of fun point that Alcaraz plays for, but Musetti was winning too many of them.

In the tiebreak, however, Alcaraz stepped it up, winning the first three points and then pushing Musetti deep into his backhand corner before landing a drop shot that tickled the net-cord on the way over. Alcaraz held up his racket in a gesture of apology but was ruthless in closing out the tiebreak and then instantly stamped his authority over Musetti in the third.

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The Italian barely won a point, and the source of his troubles were revealed after calling a physio at the end of the fifth game to receive treatment on his left leg. But Alcaraz had won 24 of the 30 points to win the bagel set, returning with new-found aggression and whipping his forehand with devastation. Musetti, though, hardly moved as Alcaraz aimed his backhand return past him on set point.

“In the third set, I knew what I had to do in the beginning, pushing him to the limit and trying to be aggressive,” Alcaraz said. "I was more calm and I could see this more clear and I could play great tennis. It’s not great getting through or winning the match like this [with Musetti retiring]. Lorenzo is a great player and I wish him all the best and a quick recovery.”

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Musetti had lost five matches in a row against Alcaraz, including two this clay-court season in the Monte Carlo final and Rome semi-final, but the 23-year-old produced an impressive level and felt his performance over the first two sets was his best showing against the Spaniard.

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“That's a step forward,” Musetti said. “The last two matches were a little bit, you know, one way. I felt that today I had my chances even to try to go two sets up, but of course Carlos, he's playing really well. He's in really great shape. He deserves to go in the final.”

Alcaraz got to put his feet up while Djokovic and Sinner met for the chance to face him. The Spaniard has now won 13 consecutive matches at the French Open and will bid for a second Roland Garros title on Sunday.