Sinner wins to set up Alcaraz final at US Open
Jannik Sinner comes through an injury scare to win his US Open semi-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime and set up another tantalising Grand Slam final with Carlos Alcaraz.
Jannik Sinner comes through an injury scare to win his US Open semi-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime and set up another tantalising Grand Slam final with Carlos Alcaraz.
Jannik Sinner has set a blockbuster winner-takes-all US Open final with Carlos Alcaraz after a gritty 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime Friday night at Flushing Meadows, where he captured his 300th career match win.
Both World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings – which Sinner has held for 65 consecutive weeks – and the last title of the 2025 Grand Slam season will be on the line when the world’s Top 2 players meet Sunday from 2 p.m. EDT/8 p.m. CEST. It will be the first time in the Open Era that two players have contested three major finals in the same season.
In a match even closer than the scoreboard suggested, Sinner had to dig deeper than at any stage in the tournament, fighting off nine of 10 break points against the 25-year-old Canadian, who refused to be bullied from the backcourt, matching the Italian’s power with a defiant and aggressive gameplan, that included 31 net approaches.
Auger-Aliassime levelled the semi-final after dropping just one point on serve during an inspired second set, after which Sinner, who had earlier shown signs of abdominal discomfort, left Arthur Ashe Stadium for treatment. Despite serving at reduced speed in the third set, Sinner played some of his cleanest tennis of the match, making just four unforced errors to his opponent’s 10.
The free-swinging Auger-Aliassme imposed himself from the baseline early in the fourth set and also found success at net, earning five break points across the Italian’s first two service games after a series of entertaining rallies. But after Sinner survived an 11-minute game to hold for 2-all, the 24-year-old claimed the decisive break in the next game and rode his big-match temperament to the finish line.
Sunday’s final between Sinner and Alcaraz will be a déjà vu moment for the 22-year-old Spaniard, who faced similar stakes against Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open decider, which brought Alcaraz his first major title and marked his debut as World No. 1.
[ATP APP]The final also ensures a Grand Slam shutout for the second consecutive season, with an eighth consecutive major title guaranteed to finish in the hands of either the Italian or Spaniard.
Sinner set a fifth consecutive final meeting with Alcaraz in events in which they have both been in the draw. Alcaraz has won three of those finals (Rome, Roland Garros, Cincinnati, when Sinner retired ill); Sinner triumphed in the Wimbledon final, denying the 22-year-old a third consecutive title on the hallowed lawns.
Alcaraz leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry 9-5 and has won their past three meetings on hard courts.
The final will also have big implications in the battle to claim ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. Should Alcaraz win the final and pad his current 1890-point lead in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin by a further 700 points, Sinner will face an uphill battle to finish back-to-back years at No. 1.
After reaching the US Open semi-finals for the second time, Auger-Aliassime has surged 14 places to No. 13 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, his highest mark since August 2023. He is 34-18 on the season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index
Did You Know?
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic continued their inter-generational rivalry on Friday afternoon at the US Open, where the 22-year-old Alcaraz overcame the 38-year-old Serbian 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 to reach his seventh major final and second in New York.
In a largely high-quality, absorbing two-hour and 25-minute clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz avenged his recent losses to Djokovic at this year’s Australian Open and the 2024 Paris Olympics to stay on track for his sixth Grand Slam title and a return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“It’s a great feeling. Once again in the final here at the US Open, it feels amazing,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “It means a lot to me. Today, I’d say — it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me, but I just kept a good level from the beginning until the last point. I served pretty well, I think that was really, really important. Trying to play a really physical match and I think I did it. In general, I played really good tennis and I’m just really happy to be able to play in my second final here.”
42 – 2: The Alcaraz Hot Streak Continues 🔥@carlosalcaraz defeats Djokovic in straight sets in NYC!@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Lwq2ANggGX
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 5, 2025
The Spaniard overpowered Djokovic with his ferocious hitting and showed an abundance of grit in the second set, rallying from 0-3 to take a crucial two-set lead. Alcaraz largely dictated the tempo with his weight of shot and was in control for the majority of the clash against the Serbian, who struggled physically in the third set.
With his victory, Alcaraz improved to 4-5 against Djokovic in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series and extended his winning streak to 12 matches. The second seed has advanced to the final in each of the past eight events he has played, dating back to Monte-Carlo in April. His most recent title triumph came in Cincinnati, where he lifted his eighth ATP Masters 1000 trophy last month.
Having overcome Djokovic, Alcaraz could meet Jannik Sinner in the championship match on Sunday. If the Italian defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime later on Friday and advances to the final, Alcaraz and Sinner will be the first men’s pair to face off in three major finals in one season. Alcaraz saved three championship points en route to clawing past Sinner at Roland Garros before the 24-year-old gained revenge at Wimbledon to lift his fourth major.
Most Major Finals Before Turning 23 Years Old (Open Era)
| Bjorn Borg | 8 |
| Rafael Nadal | 8 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 7 |
| Jim Courier | 7 |
| Mats Wilander | 7 |
| Boris Becker | 6 |
| Pete Sampras | 6 |
*Alcaraz turns 23 on 5 May, 2026, meaning he could tie Borg and Nadal at next year’s Australian Open
If Sinner fails to advance to the final, Alcaraz will return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time since September 2023. If Sinner reaches the final, the 2022 US Open champion Alcaraz would need to lift the trophy to surpass the Italian, who has held top spot since June 2024.
With a Tour-leading 60 wins and six titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz looks in good standing to better his career-best tally of 65 wins and six trophies from 2023. The Spaniard has already stamped his ticket to the Nitto ATP Finals, held from 9-16 November in Turin.
Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz to join Sinner as only the second man this year to reach the semi-finals at all four majors. The Serbian was chasing his first Slam final of the season and was trying to win a record-extending 25th major crown and break the recent dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have won the past seven majors between them. Djokovic’s last major title came at Flushing Meadows in 2023, when he beat Daniil Medvedev in the final. The 38-year-old holds a 37-16 record in major semi-finals and is a four-time US Open champion.
In front of a packed crowd in New York, Alcaraz flew out of the blocks to break Djokovic’s serve in the opening game. Despite a couple of scorching backhand winners from Djokovic, Alcaraz was in control for the majority of the first set. He forced the Serbian off balance at times with his weight of shot, frequently striking his forehand at more than 80 mph to dictate. Djokovic also struggled for consistency behind his first serve, winning just 65 per cent (13/20) of points on his first delivery.
Djokovic found his first decisive blow of the match when he broke Alcaraz after the 22-year-old went long on the backhand. However, from 3-0, he was unable to keep the second seed at bay. Alcaraz conjured up a break point at 2-3 when he held his ground to flick a forehand winner crosscourt and then converted his opportunity to level.
The Spaniard committed more unforced errors than Djokovic in the set and showed signs of frustration at times when he misfired on the usually reliable drop shot. Yet, he stuck to the task at hand and was aggressive in the tie-break, standing close to the baseline to open his shoulders and drive through the court.
Djokovic received treatment on his shoulder at the start of the third set and, visibly tiring, surrendered his serve again when he threw in a double fault at 1-2. Alcaraz refused to let up, striking cleanly to soar to the finish line. Alcaraz ended with a 31-30 winner-to-unforced errors count, while Djokovic recorded a 15-30 tally. The Serbian also won just 66 per cent of his first-serve points compared to Alcaraz’s 84 per cent.
Players Who Have Reached US Open Final Without Dropping a Set (Since 2000)
| Carlos Alcaraz | 2025 |
| Roger Federer | 2015 |
| Rafael Nadal | 2010 |
| Lleyton Hewitt | 2004 |
Did You Know?
Alcaraz is just the fifth man in the Open Era to reach seven Grand Slam finals before turning 23, joining an elite group that includes Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Mats Wilander and Jim Courier. The 22-year-old has not dropped a set at this year’s US Open.
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British number one Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Billie Jean King Cup to play on the WTA Tour.
Novak Djokovic has busted out two different on-court moves after his 2025 US Open wins, both to honour his daughter Tara.
Most recently, after his quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz, the seventh seed delighted — and, perhaps, perplexed — fans by pretending to take a slug from a bottle, then performing a shoulder-shaking dance.
This, he said, was to send a message to his daughter on her eighth birthday, explaining that the choreography is from the chart-topping song “Soda Pop” from her fave film, KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix’s most watched movie ever.
“We are at home doing different choreographies, and this is one of them,” the Serb superstar said while still on court. “Hopefully I’ll make her smile when she wakes up in the morning.”
Djokovic, who is in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam singles title, has also reprised his impression of a violin virtuoso, tucking his racquet under his chin to use as an instrument. This move was inspired by Tara too, who had just learned to play when he concocted it two years ago.
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While Djokovic “soda-pops” his way into the semi-finals, other winners are showcasing new moves too. Here’s a look at some signature celebrations—and what they mean.
Alcaraz Takes A Swing
Who will be celebrating after Friday’s match between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz? On his way into the semi-final showdown, the Spanish star has used his racquet to simulate a golf swing, a gesture he directed toward golfing great (and pal) Rory McIlroy, who was in the stadium when Alcarez beat Reilly Opelka in Round 1.
“I think I own it,” Alcarez said of the move after he swung a second time, celebrating his Round 2 defeat of Mattia Bellucci.
Read the full story at USOpen.org
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