By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz ended the reign of Jannik Sinner with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win to claim the U.S. Open title on Sunday and tighten his grip on the era-defining rivalry between the torch-bearers of the men’s game.
In a perfect echo of the triumph that first propelled him to the number one spot in 2022, Alcaraz’s second New York title lifted him back to the top of the world rankings as the 22-year-old Spaniard displaced Sinner and took his Grand Slam trophy haul to six.
“I want to start with Jannik, it’s unbelievable what you’re doing the whole season, great level during every tournament that you’re playing … I’m seeing you more than my family,” said Alcaraz, who took his win-loss record with Sinner to 10-5.
“It’s great to share a court, to share the locker room, to share everything with you.
“I’m just really proud about the people I have around. Every achievement I’m having is because of you, thanks to you … this one is yours.”
As grey clouds hovered over the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz continued to deliver the sunshine tennis that has lit up Flushing Meadows over the last fortnight, consolidating an early break by faking a drop to hit a winner that wrong-footed Sinner.
He beamed after pulling off an outrageous half-volley at the net and wrapped up the opening set shortly afterwards, finishing it off with a big serve that Sinner crashed into the net as the Italian’s metronomic precision briefly deserted him.
With U.S. President Donald Trump watching from a luxury box in the stands and adding another layer of spectacle to the third straight Grand Slam final between the duo this year, Sinner hit back to take the next set after saving an early break point.
After missing a few steps to drop his first set of the championship, Alcaraz blasted his way to a 5-0 advantage in the third set before Sinner got on the board, and the Spaniard closed it out with a monster serve.
Sinner conjured up two breathtaking volleys in the opening game of the fourth set to roaring applause and held serve after being pushed to the limit again, but he cracked under pressure and handed the crucial break to Alcaraz in the fifth game.
Resembling a flamingo in full flight in his bright pink vest, Alcaraz soared ahead to secure the victory on his third match point and celebrated by raising his fists before a warm embrace with his rival and wild celebrations with his team.
A dejected Sinner was left to contemplate another Grand Slam final loss to Alcaraz this season after coming up short in their French Open epic in June, although he beat the Spaniard to take his Wimbledon crown the following month.
“A lot of big stages and matches we played this season,” Sinner said after quickly composing himself.
“I tried my best today, I couldn’t do more.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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