Best of 2024: Which Sinner-Alcaraz clash was best ATP match of the year?
As the 2024 season draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the epic battles and career-defining performances that will stay etched in fans’ memories for years to come.
At the heart of the action were some of the Tour’s standout performers across the year: Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. As part of our annual season-in-review series, ATPTour.com counts down the finest ATP Tour matches of 2024.
[ATP APP]5) United Cup F, Zverev d. Hurkacz 6-7(3), 7-6(6), 6-4
Donning their country’s colours can often ignite a player’s best tennis. Just ask Zverev and Hubert Hurkacz, who produced a show-stopping clash in the final of this year’s innovative United Cup.
Zverev, requiring a win to keep Germany alive, rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome Hurkacz and send the final into a decisive mixed doubles rubber. Facing championship points at 4/6 in the second-set tie-break, Zverev pulled off a flicked forehand passing shot that caught the outer edge of the sideline by millimetres. It proved a pivotal moment in the match. He reeled off three further points to turn it on its head.
“I have absolutely no idea [how I won],” said Zverev. “I saved a match point by hitting a passing shot this much on the line, so this is how tennis goes sometimes. You win and lose by millimetres and today I was lucky enough in a way.”
In a match decided by the finest of margins, it was Zverev who held his nerve to secure a vital win. The German would later return to the court with partner Laura Siegemund to seal the title with another stunning victory, kickstarting his 2024 year in emphatic fashion.
4) Hamburg F, Fils d. Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1)
A title clash between the home favourite and one of the Tour’s brightest prospects was always destined to produce drama, wasn’t it? In the Hamburg final, Zverev’s greater experience and vocal home support did not prove to be enough as Arthur Fils delivered a stunning performance to secure his maiden ATP 500 crown.
In the dying embers of a fiery, three-and-a-half-hour battle, Fils was daring enough to attempt an underarm serve facing a break point at 5-5, which electrified the German crowd under the closed roof. That crucial break point was one of 21 that the #NextGenATP star saved throughout the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats, before he dominated the decisive tie-break to seal the win.
“When we closed the roof I knew it was going to be just a fight,” said Fils. “You just have to fight until the last point, until the last ball. I think that [I’ve been] practising for this kind of moment for a long time so I’m really happy to win it.”
Fils’ gritty triumph against the then No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings – the biggest of his career – proved to be a catalyst for a stellar run of form at ATP 500 level. Including his titles in Hamburg and Tokyo, the Frenchman won 13 consecutive matches to clinch the ATP 500 Bonus Pool.
3) Monte-Carlo SF, Tsitsipas d. Sinner 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
When it comes to the Rolex Monte-Carlos Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas rarely puts a foot wrong. In the semi-finals this year, the two-time champion in the Principality found a fitting way to record his first win over a Top 3 opponent since 2022 when he outlasted Jannik Sinner in a high-quality clash.
Their two-hour, 40-minute match was defined by gruelling baseline exchanges, which were forced to end through moments of brilliance. Both Tsitsipas and Sinner fired 27 winners, but it was the former who reeled off four consecutive games from 2-4 in the deciding set to complete an epic comeback.
“It was tennis at its highest level that I have been able to play,” said Tsitsipas. “Jannik was an extremely difficult opponent and it can be seen throughout the year so far. He has been very consistent and I could see that throughout today with his game.”
Tsitsipas would go on to defeat Casper Ruud in the championship match to clinch his third title at the ATP Masters 1000 event, becoming just the fifth player to achieve this feat (after Nadal, Borg, Muster and Nastase).
2) Cincinnati SF, Sinner d. Zverev 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4)
Sinner was heading into his semi-final encounter in Cincinnati with former champion Zverev having lost each of their previous four Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, but the Italian battled through a hip niggle to secure a thrilling victory.
In a pendulum-swinging, three-hour, seven-minute clash, which featured rain in the first set, Sinner displayed remarkable resilience to cross the line. Zverev let slip a break lead in the first set as well as two set points in the tie-break before Sinner took the lead.
Despite Sinner’s edge, little separated the two and the German fought back with light fading in Cincinnati. Sinner summoned the energy to unleash a forehand return winner to bring up two match points in the deciding-set tie-break, which he converted on the second attempt.
“Sometimes you have to play a bit with the gut feeling, and I think this today was my strength,” said Sinner, who went on to clinch his sixth ATP Masters 1000 title with his triumph over Frances Tiafoe in the final. “[There were] some ups and downs, which can happen, especially when you play [for] more than three hours. It was a good match, I think for both of us.”
1) Beijing F, Alcaraz d. Sinner 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3)
With the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner already brimming with spectacular encounters, the Beijing final was yet another testament to the stature of their duel. Through a high-quality display of bruising ball-striking paired with exquisite feel at the net, the two young stars pushed each other to their limits.
Sinner had established himself as the standout contender on hard courts in 2024, but Alcaraz proved a stubborn obstacle for the Italian, who won their two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. Eager to spoil Sinner’s 16-match winning streak, Alcaraz’s nerve and skill came to the fore in a breathtaking showdown.
After clawing back from a set deficit and letting slip a break lead in the final set, it seemed the final was becoming further out of reach for Alcaraz, who trailed 0/3 in the decisive tie-break. Yet the Spaniard had other ideas, stringing together seven consecutive points to seal a gutsy three-hour, 21-minute victory – the longest match in tournament history.
“I never lost hope,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly I knew that [when I started it] that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost to his side. I thought that in the third set, I’m not going to lie, three-love down, two mini breaks for him. So I didn’t lose hope, but I thought, ‘Okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close.’”
With the triumph Alcaraz took a 6-4 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, marking the first time either of them had won three consecutive matches against the other. Sinner’s defeat to Alcaraz in Beijing, however, proved to be his sole loss in 27 matches from Cincinnati onwards in a stellar end to the 2024 season.
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