Alcaraz Recovers World Number 1 in an Epic US Open Final
Three years after conquering his first Grand Slam title and becoming the youngest number 1 in history, Carlos Alcaraz has returned to reign in world tennis. The Spanish tennis player defeated his rival, Jannik Sinner, in an exciting US Open final. In a match that lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes, Alcaraz unleashed his powerful forehand, a constantly improving serve, and his unmatched athleticism to defeat Sinner with scores of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, and 6-4. With this victory, Alcaraz regains the top spot in the world ranking, taking it from Sinner after 65 weeks of dominance and extending his head-to-head record to 10-5. After securing the victory with an ace on his third championship point, Alcaraz celebrated with his characteristic smile, then embraced Sinner at the net. Both, known for their good relationship, left the court together.Before 24,000 spectators, including celebrities and former President Donald Trump, Alcaraz took control from the start, breaking Sinner’s serve in the first game and dominating much of the match. This triumph represents the sixth Grand Slam title in Alcaraz’s career, who, at 22 years old, becomes the second youngest man to reach this figure. Alcaraz, who had already won twice at Wimbledon and the French Open, joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Mats Wilander as the only men to win multiple major titles on all three surfaces. The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner has dominated the circuit in the last two seasons, with both players winning four Grand Slam titles each between 2024 and 2025. Their rivalry was consolidated in an epic quarter-final match at the 2022 US Open. The match on Sunday marked the first time in history that two players have faced each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in the same season, something not seen since Venus and Serena Williams achieved it in 2002.“For me, reaching number 1 again is a dream. Achieving it while winning another Grand Slam is even better. It’s what I work for and I am very happy to be able to live these experiences.”
Carlos Alcaraz
“I see you more than my family,” Alcaraz joked during the trophy presentation, addressing Sinner. “It’s great to share the court, share the locker rooms, everything.”
Carlos Alcaraz
Although only 760 points separate Alcaraz and Sinner in the ranking after the match, there is a difference of 4,850 points between Sinner and the rest of the players.
Sinner, who arrived in New York as the favorite, had won the last three hard-court Grand Slams. However, in the tournament prior to the US Open, he withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters final against Alcaraz due to a viral illness. He also suffered an abdominal muscle injury during his semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Alcaraz, for his part, had no setbacks during the tournament, becoming the first man to reach the final without losing a set since Roger Federer a decade ago. In addition, he only lost two service games on his way to the final, winning 98 out of 101 service games. Sinner acknowledged Alcaraz’s improvement since their meeting at Wimbledon.Sinner criticized his own performance, calling it “very predictable.” He announced that he would make changes to be “a little more unpredictable” and improve 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, focusing on Alcaraz’s backhand. In the end, Alcaraz had 42 winners against Sinner’s 21, leading in almost all statistics. He achieved 10 aces, compared to Sinner’s two, and did not commit double faults, while Sinner had four. Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, revealed that they studied the Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals to know what to do differently against Sinner on Sunday.“I felt that today was a little cleaner,” said Sinner. “He did better what I did well in London. I felt that today he did everything a little 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 and doing. But yes, today he played better than me.”
Jannik Sinner
Alcaraz was emotional to hear Ferrero’s comments, especially the word “perfect.” He added that he thought it was the best tournament he had played.“I think we prepared the match very well, watching some matches and seeing the specific details we have to play,” Ferrero said after the match. “Carlos did it 100%. It’s easy to say and very difficult to do. Today’s performance was perfect.”
Juan Carlos Ferrero
The start of the final was delayed by 30 minutes due to the additional security measures implemented because of Trump’s presence. Despite the extra time, many fans were not in their seats at the beginning, and the stadium did not seem to fill up until the second set. Sinner said that neither the delay nor the initial absence of a full crowd affected him during the match.“From the first rounds to the end of the tournament, [it’s] the best tournament I’ve played so far,” Alcaraz said. “The consistency of my level throughout the tournament has been very, very high, which I am very proud of, because it’s something I’ve been working on, to be really consistent. I think in this tournament I saw that I can play really consistently.”
Carlos Alcaraz
Trump, originally from New York, was a guest of Rolex in its corporate suite. He became the first sitting president to attend the event since Bill Clinton in 2000.“We were told well in advance that the match [would start] at 2:30, so we didn’t warm up twice,” Sinner said. “Everything was fine.”
Jannik Sinner
