There are some stats floating around that point to a new era. For the first time since 2004, Roland Garros will have semifinals without the "big 3" (Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic). The most anticipated of these matches is between Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, which many are already calling the duel of the new era.

This clash comes in a year when all three tennis dominators of this century passed through Paris. Novak Djokovic had to withdraw injured after winning his fourth-round match against Argentina's Francisco Cerúndolo. After a nearly inactive year, Rafa Nadal fell in the first round against Germany's Alexander Zverev, and already retired, Roger Federer inaugurated a tennis court named after him in a struggling suburb near the French capital. For years, these three occupied the top spots and forced entire generations to crash against their power. But time marches on, and their dominance wanes as new names emerge.

Sinner will become the twenty-ninth player to reach world number 1 next Monday, and Alcaraz held that spot at 19 years old, becoming the youngest ever. Alongside Britain's Andy Murray and Russia's Daniil Medvedev, they are the only ones to achieve this during the reign of the "big 3."

At 22 years old for the Italian and 21 for the Spaniard, they represent the generation that witnessed the end of the dominance of the three greats, who won 66 of the last 83 Grand Slams, 80% of all contested since Federer lifted his first at Wimbledon in 2003.

Between that moment and Alcaraz's victory at the US Open in 2022, his first Grand Slam, only a handful of players managed to etch their names in a major tournament, a trend that is starting to change. Roland Garros will be the second consecutive Grand Slam without any "big 3" in the final, and for only the second time during their reign, two consecutive majors will pass without them lifting a trophy.

"Hopefully, we face each other many times over the next 10 to 15 years," Alcaraz said after qualifying for the semifinals, endorsing the prediction that he and the Italian are destined to lead the rivalry in the coming seasons.

This head-to-head will have a special chapter in Paris, with both well-positioned in the top rankings, and no one is surprised to see them there anymore.

It will be their ninth encounter, with some memorable matches already, notably their 2022 US Open clash where the Spaniard saved a match point to come back in five sets over five hours and fifteen minutes of play, finishing in the early New York morning.

They are tied with four wins each, and one of them will leave Philippe Chatrier with a positive record. Sinner is guaranteed the number 1 spot, but the Italian didn't let the shine of that achievement blind him and warned, "What matters here is Friday's match."