Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz set to battle for bigger prize than winning title at US Open

Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos are regarded as two of the best players in the world. The two players continue to dominate men’s tennis. The two have won the last seven Grand Slams combined since the start of 2024, and it looks like that might continue in the fourth and the major tournament of the year, the US Open.

Both players are currently playing in the Cincinnati Open and have cemented their spot in the final. Sinner defeated France’s Terence Atmane in the semifinal in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2. On the other hand, Alcaraz cemented his spot in the grand finale after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-3.

It will be the fourth final between Sinner and Alcaraz this year. The two featured in the final of the Rome Masters were Alcaraz, who came out on top in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-1. At the French Open, Sinner and Alcaraz played arguably one of the greatest finals in the history of the Grand Slams. In that contest, Alcaraz came out on top miraculously after saving three championship points in the fourth set. The final score of the match was 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.

The match lasted more than five hours and officially became the second-longest in the history of Grand Slam finals. Their most recent meeting came in the final of Wimbledon, where Sinner managed to take the revenge of that heartbreaking defeat in Paris and lifted the title after beating Alcaraz with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

For the US Open, it is clear that both Sinner and Alcaraz will be competing for the title, but there will be one more thing at stake as well, the number one spot in the ATP rankings. As things stand, Sinner will finish the Cincinnati Open, regardless of the result, nearly 2,000 points or more ahead of Alcaraz. That, however, will not be enough for Sinner to ensure that he will stay on top of the ladder in the ATP rankings at the end of the US Open, as the Italian tennis star will be defending 2,000 points in the upcoming mega-event.

Sinner will be defending his title in New York, which he lifted last year after beating America’s Taylor Fritz in the final. On the other hand, Alcaraz only has 50 points to defend at the mega-event, and therefore, both players will be battling it out to secure the top spot at the flashing meadows as well. After securing the win against Zverev, Alcaraz spoke to the media and expressed delight in facing Sinner once again. Alcaraz was of the opinion that Sinner pushed him to bring his best game on the court and stated that he is ‘ready’ for the challenge.

“I just am really looking forward to playing him once again,” said Alcaraz. “Thanks to him I just bring my best tennis in the match. For the people it’s great as well, watching our matches. We raise the level to the top and bring really beautiful tennis on the match. I’m ready to take the challenge. I’m ready to see the things that I did wrong in the last match, trying to be better on Monday. Tomorrow is a day off. I’ll try to adjust my game a bit better to be ready at my 100%. Mentally and tactically to be ready and be perfect. It’s gonna be a really good day tomorrow and I’m excited for Monday.”

On the other hand, Sinner, after beating Atmane in the semifinal, stated that he was happy with his ‘mindset’ in a challenging match against the youngster. “It was a very, very tough challenge,” said Sinner. “Every time you play against something completely new, it’s difficult, but playing against this guy in the later stages of a tournament is even more difficult. The pressure is higher and you know they deserve to be there… He has beaten incredible players throughout his wins. I knew that I had to be very careful, and my mindset was in a good spot. I felt like I handled the situations on the court very well. He was serving incredibly well in the first set. He has huge, huge potential, and I think we saw that in the tournament.”