'GIVE IT TO THEM BOTH': TENNIS WORLD REACTS TO EPIC ROLAND-GARROS FINAL

(Getty/Clive Brunskill)

The tennis world is catching its breath after witnessing one of the best Grand Slam finals of all time in an enthralling five-hour and 29-minute marathon between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at Roland-Garros.

Dramatic ebbs and flows were the story of the match, as Sinner wrapped up a two-set lead despite going down a break in the opener and having to rely on a tiebreak after leading 5-2 in the second set.

An early break to lead 1-0, 30-0 wasn't enough to cement a straight sets victory, but the drama escalated in the fourth set when Alcaraz saved three consecutive championship points at 3-5, 0-40, and also broke the Italian as he served for the title.

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However, the pressure shifted to the defending champion, who failed to serve out the championship, opening the door for Sinner once again. But seven straight points in the 10-point tiebreak to lead 7-0 was ultimately enough for Alcaraz to collapse on the clay and celebrate his fifth major crown.

"It's just one point away from losing the match, but a lot of times people came back from match point down in a final of a Grand Slam, or even in other matches," the eventual champion said.

"I just wanted to be one of those players who saved match point in the Grand Slam final and ended up winning. I just believed all the time."

As expected, social media went into meltdown, with some former players ranking it as possibly the "greatest" final they've ever watched.

One minute shy of the five-and-a-half hour mark, the match was the longest final in Roland-Garros history, and it's also the second-longest major final behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's memorable five-hour and 53-minute classic at the 2012 Australian Open.

For Sinner, the defeat was his first loss in a Slam final after previously going 3-0 (the US Open and twice at Melbourne Park).

The 23-year-old admitted that the "final result hurts," but takes pride in playing a role in an extraordinary contest.

"I'm still happy to be part of this match. I think it was a very, very high-level match, was long. Yeah, and it happens," he mentioned post-match.

"We saw it in the past with other players, and today it happened to me, so we try to delete it somehow and take the positive and keep going. There are no other ways."

The next Slam on the calendar commences June 30, as Alcaraz attempts to defend another title at Wimbledon.

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