Together, the two young stars have now claimed seven out of the last eight Grand Slam titles.
Carlos Alcaraz produced an epic comeback for the ages, saving three match points to beat World No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 in the longest French Open final since tennis turned professional in 1968.
At five hours and 29 minutes, it surpassed the previous record set by Mats Wilander when he beat Guillermo Vilas in 1982 and is the second-longest final at all the four majors.
In an incredible turnaround, Alcaraz saved three championship points while serving at 3-5 in the fourth set before he prevailed in the final set in the tie-breaker, to improve his perfect record to 5-0 in Grand Slam finals.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is now the second -- and youngest -- male player to have won his first five major finals, and the first man since Gaston Gaudio in 2004 to save championship points and win a Roland-Garros final.
Alcaraz and Sinner contested their first Grand Slam final -- also the first between players born in the 2000s.
They combined hit 123 winners in a relentless, back-and-forth battle that captivated Paris.
The final points tally was 193-192 in Sinner's favour but he fell agonisingly short of becoming the first Italian man to win the clay court title since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Alcaraz handed Sinner his first defeat in a Grand Slam final after the Italian claimed his first three at the Australian Open (2024 and 2025) and US Open (2024).
Together, the two young stars have now claimed seven out of the last eight Grand Slam titles.
Alcaraz has now equalled Nadal's tally of five major titles at the same stage of their careers. Nadal was one day younger when he beat Roger Federer in another final for the ages at Wimbledon in 2008 for his fifth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, who becomes the third man to retain the French Open title this century, after Nadal and Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, has cemented his status as a generational talent.
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