Clash of the young titans as Carlos Alcaraz takes on Jannik Sinner in the French Open semi-finals with pair having potential for next great rivalry

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Due apologies to Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud, but their second semi-final on Friday will come after the Lord Mayor’s show.

That would be Carlos Alcaraz, Lord Mayor of Wimbledon, against Jannik Sinner, Lord Mayor of Melbourne.

Two reigning Grand Slam champions clash at Roland Garros at 2.30pm UK time and, as Alcaraz put it: ‘Everybody wants to watch this match.’

Sinner is 22 and will be officially crowned Italy’s first world No1 on Monday. Alcaraz is 21 and will move up to No2 in the rankings if he wins the title. These two look set to carve up the lion’s share of Grand Slams over the next few years and establish the next great rivalry in men’s tennis.

‘I'm really, really excited to play Jannik again,’ said Alcaraz. ‘Hopefully everyone is going to enjoy the match as much as I am.

Carlos Alcaraz is excited to take on Jannik Sinner in an intriguing French Open semi-final

Given the ability of Sinner (pictured) and Alcaraz, they could be set for an epic rivalry

‘Against him you have to run like it is a marathon, side-to-side. Everything he does, he does it perfectly.

‘The way he hits the ball is unbelievable. The way he moves – he pushes you to the limit every ball. It is the hardest thing to face Jannik.

‘At the same time I love that. I love this kind of challenge, to find a way to beat him.

‘There are probably a little bit more nerves before facing him, I'm not going to lie. He's the best player in the world.’

Alcaraz’s frank appreciation of his rival was typical of his infectious love for the game and general joie de vivre.

Sinner is more guarded, fiercely protecting his privacy. It was reluctantly that he confirmed his relationship with Russian player Anna Kalinskaya before this tournament.

Alcaraz spoke highly of Sinner and has shown he is capable of playing a wide variety of shots

Alcaraz is the more expressive on the court too, with a wider kaleidoscope of shots than perhaps any player in history – including Roger Federer. The other side of his coin is an occasional tendency towards overexcitement and overelaboration.

Sinner is strictly business and, despite looking like a skinny Italian kid whose mamma would insist on feeding up, generates enormous power from his whiplash groundstrokes.

The head to head is 4-4 so how can we split them? Despite Sinner winning their only previous meeting on clay, Alcaraz has the superior record on the surface. The form guide favours Sinner: he has lost only two matches this year, compared to five for Alcaraz, with three titles versus one.

The bookies give Alcaraz the slightest of edges and that feels just about right.