New York belongs to Carlos Alcaraz again: Downs Jannik Sinner for second US Open crown and reclaims No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz once again defeated Jannik Sinner to win the 2025 US Open title, claiming his sixth Grand Slam and reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking. The Spaniard extended his head-to-head record to 10-5 and secured his second US Open crown, putting distance between himself and his rival in their fierce rivalry.

This was the third consecutive Grand Slam final and sixth straight final between the two. While Alcaraz won the title at Roland Garros—saving three match points—Sinner got revenge at Wimbledon, defeating him in four sets. This time, with the Italian as the defending champion, Alcaraz once again brought his best tennis to secure the victory on the hardcourts of Flushing Meadows by 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The tone was set in the very first game. After a more than 30-minute delay, the players took the court, and Sinner served first. The Italian quickly gave his opponent a couple of opportunities, and Alcaraz took the lead from the start, following it up with his first service game to secure a 2-0 lead.

Sinner quickly managed to fix his service problems and looked a bit better in the following games. Neither player gave up many chances until the seventh game. With Alcaraz up 4-2, Sinner again conceded a couple of break chances, and the Spaniard took advantage. Alcaraz comfortably took the first set 6-2, giving up just three points on his serve.

In the second set, Sinner improved considerably, especially with his second serve, increasing his win percentage from 33% to 67%. After a start where Alcaraz was again close to getting a break, Sinner took control, getting a break in the fourth game and extending his lead to 4-1 with his serve.

It was a clear advantage for the Italian, who had no trouble in his next service games and closed out the set 6-3 after 43 minutes. Sinner added spice to a final that was full of high-quality tennis, where the smallest details made the difference.

However, everything began to unravel at the start of the third set, where Alcaraz was better at controlling his emotions at a key moment. Both were barely hitting 50% of their first serves, but Alcaraz's effectiveness was on another level. He won 92% of his first-serve points compared to Sinner's 87%.

Two consecutive breaks put Alcaraz ahead 4-0. He was much more aggressive than his rival, hitting 5 aces and 11 winners, while Sinner had 0 aces and just one winner. Although the Italian managed to find a good service game for a bit of honor, Alcaraz comfortably closed the set 6-1 and was on his way to victory, clearly dominating this part of the match.

Sinner began to look nervous, and he was forced to save a couple of break points at the start of the fourth set. Alcaraz, for his part, did not hesitate, and just like for the rest of the tournament, he relied on an unplayable first serve.

With the score at 2-2, 30-30, Sinner committed his fourth double fault of the match, giving Alcaraz a break chance. An unforced error from the Italian gave Alcaraz the break, and at this point, all the Spaniard had to do was hold serve to win the title.

Things went as expected. Both players held their serve, and no more break points were disputed. The Spaniard's clinical play was evident, as he didn't drop his level or show any signs of nerves while closing out the win. After two hours and 40 minutes, Alcaraz sealed his second US Open title—adding to his 2022 win—and his sixth major.

Alcaraz also guarantees his return to World No. 1 after Sinner's uninterrupted 65 weeks as the ranking leader. This is the first time Alcaraz has been at the top of the ranking since September 2023.