Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz rallied from two sets down for the first time in his career to retain the French Open title by defeating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), and 7-6 (10-2) on Sunday.

Described as “one of the greatest-ever Grand Slam finals,” the final turned out to be the longest Roland-Garros men’s singles final in Open era history at five hours and 29 minutes.

Incredibly, the 22-year-old Alcaraz saved three championship points while serving at 3-5 in the fourth set to stage a great comeback.

“It’s a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you,” Alcaraz said to Sinner at the trophy ceremony.

Sinner responded, “Congrats, Carlos, amazing performance, amazing battle. I’m very happy for you, and you deserve it. We tried our best today; we gave everything we had. I won’t sleep very well tonight, but it’s okay.”

Alcaraz claimed his fifth major crown at exactly the same age as his idol, Rafael Nadal did: 22 years, one month, and three days old.

It was Alcaraz’s fifth victory from his fifth final, which was the first at one of the majors to be fought out between two players born this century.

It was also the first Grand Slam final meeting of the two young superstars of men’s tennis, the best players on the planet, who have now shared the last six major titles.

Additional reporting by Sky Sports.