Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner| Image credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
It took Carlos Alcaraz a largely smooth 2 hours 22 minutes to beat Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the 2025 US Open final on Sunday. In doing so, Alcaraz leapfrogged his opponent and became the world no.1 again, a position he had relinquished in 2023.
The Spaniard, who became the youngest world no.1 in history after winning the US Open in 2022 at the age of 19, expressed his delight at winning the trophy for the second time.
"Well, it's a great feeling. I've been working really hard just to lift this trophy. It's my second one, but it's still a dream come true. The second one here is super special."
The six-time Grand Slam champion mentioned how returning to the no.1 spot was one of his year’s main objectives:
"It's great when you achieve goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year. One of my main goals for the season was just to try to recover the number one spot as soon as possible, or end the year as number one."
At 22, Alcaraz is quickly entering - if he hasn’t already - the conversation of the greatest players to grace the game. For context, Novak Djokovic, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion, only had one at Alcaraz’s age. With his frightening forehand and eclectic band of shots in his repertoire, Alcaraz continues to marvel the tennis world.
Since Djokovic’s victory at the 2023 US Open, all Grand Slams have been shared between Alcaraz and Sinner. There are brewing signs of one of the all-time great rivalries in tennis. While the Spaniard has already claimed six Slams, the Italian isn’t far behind with four at the age of 24.
The two have gone head-to-head 15 times, with Alcaraz leading 10-5 after Sunday’s victory. This year alone, they have played each other in three Grand Slam finals. At Roland Garros, Sinner took home a 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 victory after a grueling 5 hours and 29 minutes. At Wimbledon, Sinner beat Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. At the US Open, the pendulum again swung in Alcaraz’s favor.
Sinner, who won the 2025 Australian Open, became the world no.1 in June 2024, and enjoyed a 65-week stay at the summit. While the two have shared two Grand Slams a piece in 2024 and 2025, Alcaraz was asked if he is now able to read Sinner’s game. He replied:
“I've played so many matches against him. As he said, he watches a lot of my matches just to study my game. I do the same; I watch a lot of his matches. First of all, because I love watching him play, and secondly, because I love to study how he plays and how he feels in tournaments. This way, if I play him in that tournament, I can get feedback on how he's been playing.”
While both players have been magnificent in recent years, they are both yet to win the Career Grand Slam. The French Open has eluded Sinner so far, while Alcaraz is yet to win the Australian Open. The Spaniard was in high spirits when asked about the Australian Open 2026, and if he would get to the Career Grand Slam before Sinner:
“I think it's going to be great. It's honestly my first goal. Completing the Career Grand Slam or the Calendar Grand Slam is always the main goal for me. So, it would be great if I could achieve the first or the second one. I'm obviously going to try to do it next year.”