Alcaraz conquers the US Open: Defeats Sinner and regains #1

Alcaraz Recaptures Tennis Summit with US Open Triumph

Three years after his first Grand Slam title and becoming the youngest number 1 in history, Carlos Alcaraz has reaffirmed his dominance in tennis by winning the US Open. The Spanish tennis player defeated his rival, Jannik Sinner, in a final that extended for the third consecutive time in a major tournament. With a powerful game, an improved serve, and electrifying athleticism, Alcaraz achieved victory with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, and 6-4, in a time of 2 hours and 42 minutes. This triumph allowed him to regain the top spot in the world ranking, taking it from Sinner after 65 weeks. After securing the victory with an ace on his third championship point, Alcaraz celebrated with his characteristic smile, then embraced Sinner at the net. The friendly relationship between both players was evident on the court, where they shared a hug as they left.

“For me, achieving number 1 once again is a dream. Achieving it on the same day I win another Grand Slam is even better. It’s everything I work for, and I am very happy to be able to live these experiences,” Alcaraz stated.

Carlos Alcaraz

Before an audience of 24,000 spectators, including celebrities and former President Donald Trump, Alcaraz took control from the start, breaking Sinner’s serve in the first game. This title represents the sixth Grand Slam in his career, making him the second youngest man to reach this mark, at just 22 years old. Alcaraz, who had already won twice at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Mats Wilander as the only tennis players to win multiple major titles on all three surfaces.

In the last two seasons, Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated the circuit, winning all eight Grand Slam titles in 2024 and 2025, with four titles each. Their rivalry began in an epic quarter-final match at the 2022 US Open, which became the latest finish in the tournament’s history (2:50 a.m.).

In June, they faced each other for the first time in a Grand Slam final at Roland Garros, where Alcaraz came back to win in five sets. Sinner, for his part, won Wimbledon, defeating Alcaraz in a more straightforward result of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. In the recent US Open match, both players presented themselves as the most dominant tennis players of the moment. This was the first time in history that two men faced each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in the same season, something that hadn’t happened since Venus and Serena Williams achieved it in 2002.

“I see you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked during the trophy presentation, looking at Sinner. “It’s great to share the court, share the locker rooms, everything.”

Carlos Alcaraz

Despite only 760 points separating Alcaraz and Sinner in the ranking after the match, there is a difference of 4,850 points between Sinner and the rest of the competitors. Sinner, the defending champion, arrived in New York as the favorite, with a streak of 21 consecutive victories in major hard-court tournaments. However, he had to withdraw from the Cincinnati Open final against Alcaraz due to a viral illness, in addition to dealing with an abdominal muscle injury during his semifinal. Alcaraz, on the other hand, did not face such difficulties, becoming the first man to advance to the final without losing a set since Roger Federer a decade ago. During the tournament, he only lost two service games, winning 98 out of 101 service games. Sinner acknowledged Alcaraz’s improvement since their meeting at Wimbledon.

“I felt like he was a little cleaner today. He did things better than I did well in London. I feel like today he did everything slightly better, especially the serve, both sides, both very clean strokes. He raised his level when he had to, so I am proud of the season I am playing. But, yes, today he played better than me,” Sinner expressed.

Jannik Sinner

Sinner was critical of his own performance, calling himself “very predictable” and announced that he would make changes to be “a little more unpredictable”, especially in his serve. Alcaraz broke Sinner’s serve five times in the match. Although he won the first set in 37 minutes, Sinner reacted in the second set by attacking Alcaraz’s backhand. In the end, Alcaraz had 42 winners against Sinner’s 21 and led in almost all statistics. His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, revealed that they studied the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals to know what to do differently against Sinner.

“I think we prepared for the match very well, watching some matches and seeing the specific details we have to play. Carlos did 100%. It’s easy to say and very difficult to do. Today’s performance was perfect,” Ferrero stated.

Juan Carlos Ferrero

Alcaraz, upon hearing his coach’s comments, was emotional and stated that this was the best tournament he has played so far. The start of the final was delayed 30 minutes due to additional security measures for Trump’s presence. Despite this, Sinner declared that neither the delay nor the initial absence of the public affected his performance.