Italian competitor Jannik Sinner and Spanish talent Carlos Alcaraz have together secured the previous seven major tournaments.
The athletes ranked first and second worldwide are scheduled to compete for another Grand Slam championship this Sunday afternoon in Flushing Meadows.
Sinner secured his position in the US Open final this past Friday night with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over the determined Canadian athlete Félix Auger-Aliassime. Sinner now has the opportunity to become the first reigning US Open men’s champion to successfully defend his title in the competition since Roger Federer of Switzerland achieved it back in 2008.
That’s quite a group for Sinner to join, who has currently made it to the last five Grand Slam finals. In a manner similar to how Federer and Rafael Nadal of Spain exchanged positions as major champions earlier in this century, Sinner and Alcaraz have cultivated a remarkable rivalry on the grandest stages of the sport.
Sunday will represent their third successive encounter in a major championship match. Sinner squandered a two-set advantage to Alcaraz at this year’s French Open and subsequently avenged that defeat at Wimbledon in July. Nevertheless, Alcaraz holds a 9-5 advantage over Sinner in head-to-head matches, including a 4-1 record in finals.
One of Alcaraz’s victories over Sinner transpired in the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, a match that lasted more than five hours and that Sinner believes initiated the rivalry between the two athletes.
“We are now distinct players,” Sinner expressed in his post-match interview after defeating Auger-Aliassime this Friday. “Also, we possess varying levels of confidence. Thus, let’s observe what unfolds.
“We’ve competed against each other quite frequently this year, so we possess a strong understanding of each other. Let’s see who prepares in the most effective manner.”
Jannik Sinner Requires a Medical Timeout and Four Sets to Overcome Félix Auger-Aliassime
Sinner now stands as one of four men in the Open era to reach all four major finals within the same season. Rod Laver of Australia, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, and Federer are the sole others who share that distinction.
However, Sinner did not join that group effortlessly this past Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Auger-Aliassime entered the match having eliminated three seeded players en route to his second US Open semifinal appearance, and his first since 2021. Auger-Aliassime, seeded No. 25 in this year’s tournament, challenged Sinner with everything he possessed, at one juncture securing 16 consecutive points on serve.
Following a dominant first set — in which Sinner recorded 4 aces, 10 winners, and only 4 unforced errors — the 24-year-old phenomenon faced a formidable serve from the 25-year-old Auger-Aliassime. In fact, Auger-Aliassime secured 94% of points on his first serve and 100% of points on his second serve in the second set. That was also the point at which he challenged Sinner on the second of two triple break-point opportunities.
After Auger-Aliassime leveled the match at one set apiece, Sinner requested a medical timeout. He indicated his stomach while speaking with the chair umpire and made a brief visit to the locker room after receiving a swift evaluation from a trainer. The issue did not cost Sinner the match, and he described it as “nothing serious” in his post-match interview. However, his serve noticeably decreased in speed early in the third set.
Eventually, however, Sinner regained his form, broke Auger-Aliassime’s serve, and reclaimed control of the match.
The fourth set proved to be particularly competitive. Sinner won 40 points, and Auger-Aliassime was not far behind with 34. They exchanged blows during a game that lasted over 10 minutes and featured four deuces. Sinner saved a series of break points and subsequently broke Auger-Aliassime’s serve in the following game after that.
While Sinner landed his first serve only 53% of the time this past Friday, he conceded only one break point and overcame the challenges presented by a persistent Auger-Aliassime.
Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2
The distinction between a 38-year-old Djokovic and a 22-year-old Alcaraz is that the youthful sensation possesses the ability to triumph even when he is not performing at his peak. Alcaraz was not at his sharpest in this past Friday’s semifinal. He seemed to be searching for the appropriate approach, attempting to disrupt Djokovic with drop shots rather than exerting control through his serve and forehand.
That enabled Djokovic to remain in the match despite Alcaraz possessing a clear advantage in terms of speed and athleticism. Although he encountered difficulty maintaining his position moving from side to side, Djokovic displayed precision with his returns. The 24-time Grand Slam champion secured several points with shots that landed inside the line and appeared to be guided by laser.
A more focused Alcaraz could likely have dispatched Djokovic sooner. Djokovic required maximum exertion to keep pace. Upon losing the second set after establishing a 3-0 lead, he appeared to be spent. Djokovic requested treatment to address his neck before the third set, but perhaps he required a respite to postpone the inevitable.
Djokovic had little remaining in the third set, his feet appearing heavier and his movements slower. His inherent skill enabled him to win a game, but losing that second set made it evident that he would not defeat Alcaraz.
Here’s how this past Friday’s men’s semifinal matches unfolded in Yahoo Sports’ live coverage:
