It takes two

Fernandez reaches doubles final with partner Townsend

It was Carlos Alcaraz, not Novak Djokovic, who conjured up the “How did he do that?!” shot in the French Open semifinals that went viral in minutes and will be talked about for years.

It was Alcaraz, 20, not Djokovic, 36, who had youth on his side, of course, the widest gap between Grand Slam semifinalists since 1991. It was Alcaraz, not Djokovic, who complained to his coach in the early going on a 29 C afternoon in Court Philippe-Chatrier that the points weren’t long enough to wear down his opponent.

And yet it was Alcaraz, not Djokovic, who succumbed to the heat and the intensity and, by his own admission, the nerves of the occasion. And so it is the No. 3 seed Djokovic, not No. 1 Alcaraz, who will play on in Paris with a chance to add to his trophy collection.

Using every bit of his superiority in experience and fitness, Djokovic beat a cramping Alcaraz, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, to reach his 34th major final. That allowed Djokovic to move closer to a 23rd Grand Slam tennis championship, which would break a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the men’s record.

“I can understand the emotions and circumstances that affect you mentally and emotionally … Maybe for the first time in his career, he was expected to win,” Djokovic said. “It’s a part of the learning curve.”

“I’ve never felt the tension that I did in that match,” said Alcaraz, who said the stress caused cramps in “every part of my body.”

Djokovic will meet No. 4 Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final. Ruud, who eliminated No. 22 Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, will play his third final at the past five majors.

Djokovic, who has won 10 of the past 19 majors, and Alcaraz, who won the U.S. Open in September, put on a show for two exhilarating, exhausting sets.

“I told him that he’s got plenty of time, and that I’m sure he’s going to win Roland Garros multiple times in the future. I have no doubt about it,” Djokovic said of their conversation when the match was over. “I mean, he’s an amazing player.”

Nothing was as memorable as that shot by Alcaraz. It was the shot of the day, of the tournament, of the year, reminiscent of one conjured up by Roger Federer on the same court years ago.

It arrived at 1-1 in the second set. Having lured Alcaraz forward, Djokovic sent the ball toward the baseline. Many a player would have given up on the point and chosen to move onto the next. Or perhaps attempted to get there but failed. Alcaraz gave chase, running with his back to the net, then sliding beyond the baseline, his left foot bending as he came to a halt and spun his body around, leaning backward in order to lace a forehand past Djokovic for a winner.

As the crowd roared and rose for an ovation to celebrate the feat, Alcaraz raised his left hand and briefly jutted his index finger into the “No. 1” gesture. He smiled a wide smile. Even Djokovic had to smile, and used his racket to applaud.

But soon, this highly anticipated matchup devolved into something as anticlimactic as can be. Early in the third set, after nearly 2 1 ⁄ hours 2 of exertion and tension, Alcaraz’s body began to lock up. First, his hand cramped. Then his legs.

Fernandez in doubles final

Leylah Fernandez’s dream of a Grand Slam title is within reach. Fernandez and American partner Taylor Townsend blew away the second-seeded Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, 6-0, 6-4, in the French Open women’s doubles semifinals on Friday. They face the unseeded duo of Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Wang Xinyu of China in Sunday’s final.

The women’s doubles title would be the first Grand Slam victory of any kind for Fernandez. of Laval, Que., who won the girls’ junior singles championship at Roland Garros in 2019.

“It’s a dream, no matter if it’s in singles, doubles or mixed doubles,” Fernandez said. “Everyone here, all the players taking part in the tournament have a dream — to play and win a Grand Slam, to bring the trophy home.”