Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner to win second US Open crown and reclaim No 1 ranking
By
SABC Sport
8th September 2025
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win his second US Open title and reclaim the World No 1 ranking as the battle between the world's top two players took another dramatic turn.
Competing against each other in a third Grand Slam final in 2025, Alcaraz followed up his epic triumph in the French Open in June, whilst gaining revenge for his defeat at Wimbledon a month later.
Sinner had not been beaten on a hard court since he lost against Alcaraz last October and it needed another masterclass from the French Open champion to end the Italian's incredible run on this surface.
Alcaraz has now won six Grand Slams at the age of 22, making him the second-youngest player in history after Bjorn Borg to reach the mark, while 24-year-old Sinner remains on four Slams.
The men's final was pushed back by 30 minutes due to heightened security measures surrounding the presence of US President Donald Trump, which also meant that a number of spectators were not able to reach their seats by the time the match began.
When play finally got under way, the two rivals delivered another entertaining clash - though it fell short of the drama and quality of their French Open and Wimbledon encounters earlier this year.
This time, reigning Roland Garros champion Alcaraz's stronger serving - an area that cost him against Sinner at Wimbledon - and great variation proved decisive as he reclaimed the US Open crown he first captured in 2022.
Alcaraz made a blistering start, breaking Sinner in the opening game and dominating the first set with dynamic shot-making and relentless pressure on his rival's second serve.
Sinner hit back in the second set, lifting his level and feeding off the energy of the crowd to break Alcaraz and deny him the chance to win the title without dropping a set.
But the Italian's momentum was short-lived. A couple of costly forehand mistakes gave Alcaraz the break he needed, and the French Open champion surged ahead with commanding serving and clever variation to reclaim control of the match.
From there, Alcaraz never let go. Despite flashes of resistance from Sinner, his vulnerable serve kept him under pressure, and a crucial break in the fourth set all but sealed his fate.
After the victory, Alcaraz admitted he played some of his best tennis in New York.
"In general, I think it has been my best level during the two weeks. Since the first match until the final I think I've been playing great tennis," he said.
"The focus was really, really high. I didn't lose focus at all in any of the matches, which I'm really happy about.
"With the serve, I've been really focused on it. I got broken just three times, once in the final. In general, I just played amazing tennis.
"If I want to beat Jannik on the biggest stage, I have to be brilliant, which I'm really happy about."
Sinner admitted he was outplayed on the day by Alcaraz, who he acknowledged had more variety in his game and was able to ask more questions of him.
"Well, I was very predictable today. Now it's going to be on me if I want to make changes or not... trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that's what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.
"I'm a very, very solid, you know, baseliner. I'm a very strong hitter. I'm a good player, you know!
"Adding something to that means I'm going to become a better tennis player.
"I'm going to make a couple of changes on the serve. Small things, but they can make a big difference. I am not No 1 any more and that changes a few things. You are chasing now. Let's see."
