It may seem as if we are in the midst of a compelling rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, but the reality of the era were are about to enter may be confirmed in the US Open final.
Sinner and Alcaraz will go head-to-head in a third successive Grand Slam, with the scores tied at 1-1 between the best players in the men’s game.
Alcaraz’s memorable win at the French Open was backed up by a convincing win for Sinner in the Wimbledon final and now the final act of the Grand Slam year will define who comes out on top in this high-class duel.
Yet while Alcaraz appears to be the only player to seriously threaten world No 1 Sinner, a big win for the Italian in New York could cement his status as the undisputed king of the men’s game.
Here’s your Tennis365 guide to what to expect at this year’s US Open final:
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SINNER RAISES THE BAR
Has there ever been a more dominant hard court player than Sinner?
Novak Djokovic fans will quickly point to the dominance of their man when he was in his prime and Roger Federer was also tough to beat on this surface when he was dominating at the top of the world rankings, yet Sinner seems to have taken the sport to a new level the slick courts.
Alcaraz was the last player to beat him on a hard court in China last October and since then, he had taken his aura to a new dimension.
Sinner strikes the ball harder than any player we have ever seen on a hard court and the lack of mistakes he throws into his game makes him almost impossible to beat.
Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime have taken Sinner out of his comfort zone at times in their clashes at this year’s US Open, but Sinner has roared back and landed the knock-out blows that matters.
Beating Alcaraz is his biggest challenge, as the Spaniard is quick enough to get to his shots and return them with interest, but Sinner looks primed to run through Alcaraz if he plays at anywhere near his top level on Sunday.
WHAT ALCARZ NEEDS TO DO
Staying with Sinner is crucial to any gameplan to beat him as the Italian is impossible to stop when he gets up a head of steam.
Alcaraz highlighted this approach in the French Open final, as he looked beaten for most of the fourth set and somehow found a way to save match points and get over the winning line.
The Spaniard need to try and take this match into a fifth set if he falls behind early, as he has come out on top in a lot of matches with Sinner when they have been long and gruelling contests.
TENNIS365 VERDICT
We are at the start of an era of dominance from Sinner and he will confirm as much in this US Open final.
Alcaraz is the only player in the world who troubles him, but if he had taken one of those match points in the French Open final, the Italian would now be closing in on a calendar Grand Slam.
Alcaraz will have all the support of the New York crowd and that may help to inspire him to reach the heights he needs to find to trouble Sinner, but this match will be in the hands of the ruthless defending champion.
Sinner will remain as world No 1 if he wins the final against Alcaraz, but the Spaniard will be back at the top of the rankings if he prevails in New York and that’s another motivating factor that will ensure the king of hard courts does not buckle.
Alcaraz may win a set, but this US Open will be won in four by Sinner and if he finishes 2025 with three Grand Slams out of four in his collection, the world No 1 will confirm he is pulling away from all his rivals, including the world No 2.
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