Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to winning his second French Open title.  He is now in the final after his opponent, Lorenzo Musetti, had to quit their semifinal match.  Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when Musetti called it quits.  This was not the way Alcaraz wanted to win.  He knows Musetti is a strong player and wishes him a speedy recovery.

Musetti had been struggling with an injury to his left thigh.  He had to stop playing twice to get treatment.  The first time was late in the third set.  The second time was before the fourth set started.  Musetti was clearly in pain and could not move as well as he usually does.  He walked slowly to the net to shake hands with Alcaraz and received a hug from him.

Alcaraz had a tough start to the match.  He made 16 mistakes in the first set, which Musetti won.  But Alcaraz did not give up.  He fought back and won the second set in a tiebreaker.  He then dominated the third set, winning 24 of 29 points.  Alcaraz knew he had to keep playing aggressively to push Musetti to his limits.  He did just that and won the third set in just 21 minutes.

Alcaraz is now ready for the final.  He will face either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic, who were playing their semifinal later that day.  Alcaraz feels good physically and is confident he can win.  He has won 21 out of 22 matches on clay this year.  He is determined to give his best in the final.

The crowd was excited to see Musetti play.  He is known for his one-handed backhand, which is one of the best in tennis.  Fans with clown wigs in the colors of the Italian flag cheered him on.  Even famous people like Dustin Hoffman and John Kerry were there to watch.  But Musetti's day did not go as planned.  He was playing in only his second major semifinal.  He had reached the same stage at Wimbledon last year but lost to Djokovic in straight sets.

Alcaraz knows that winning a match like this is not ideal.  He would have preferred to win on the court, not because his opponent had to quit.  But he is in the final now and is focused on winning his second French Open title and his fifth major overall.  He is ready to give it his all on Sunday.

SPORTSMANSHIP AND RECOVERY

Carlos Alcaraz's Path to the French Open Final

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