Carlos Alcaraz has reached his second consecutive French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retired injured whilst trailing 6-4 6-7 0-6 0-2 in their semi-final clash at Roland Garros.
The defending champion is attempting to become only the third man this century to retain the title, following Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten.
The 22-year-old Spaniard will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.
Musetti, who was hampered by a left thigh issue that emerged midway through the third set, fought valiantly for two hours before being forced to retire two games into the fourth set.
Reuters
|Lorenzo Musetti was visibly disappointed after he was forced to retire through injury
The Italian eighth seed twice denied Alcaraz break opportunities in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old increased his intensity to secure the first set when his Spanish opponent made errors during a poor service game.
A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but eventually penetrated Musetti's stubborn defence to level the match after a tiebreak.
The defending champion then delivered a masterful display of power and precision to win the third set 6-0.
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Reuters
|Carlos Alcaraz wasn't at his best, but he had enough to overcome Lorenzo Musetti
Musetti had put up an incredible fight for the first two hours before his physical decline became apparent.
After reaching the final, Alcaraz said: "It is never great getting through winning the match like this.
"Lorenzo is a great player. He has done an incredible clay season.
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"He's one of the few players who has achieved semi-finals. I wish him all the best and a quick recovery."
The Spaniard acknowledged the challenging nature of the first two sets, admitting he couldn't convert break opportunities despite Musetti playing "great tennis".
He expressed relief after winning the second set and explained his third-set approach: "I knew what I had to do in the beginning - pushing him to the limit and trying to be aggressive."
Alcaraz will watch the second semi-final between Djokovic and Sinner with keen interest.
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|Carlos Alcaraz consoled Lorenzo Musetti after he was forced to retire through injury
"This match is one of the best match-ups we have in tennis right now.
"It is going to be great tennis. I'm going to watch it, and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to take tactics from the match."
The achievement places Alcaraz amongst tennis's elite, becoming the second Spanish man to reach five Grand Slam finals after his childhood hero Nadal.
He joins Djokovic (37) and Daniil Medvedev (six) as the only active male players to contest at least five major finals.
Only Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe achieved 70 wins in fewer Grand Slam men's singles matches than Alcaraz in the Open era.