PREVIEW Cincinnati Open ATP Final: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz set to commence on-court rivalry once more

96 players started an intriguing Cincinnati Open, but the last two standing ended up being the strongest, two familiar faces who rebuffed all that was launched at them, but only one can lift the trophy.

Intimate rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz square off in an eagerly anticipated match-up, in a re-match of the previous two Grand Slam finals. The top two in the world have had relatively different approaches to the final, Alcaraz knocking up top seeds while Sinner brushes his opponents to one side with ease.

Sinner has been dominant on the hardcourt surface in recent times, winning the previous two Australian Open Grand Slams as well as being the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows. He looks to defend that title next week, but first, he must get the job done in Cincinnati.

It was not a smooth path to victory last year for the Italian, who needed three sets to scramble past Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev before getting the better of American favourite Frances Tiafoe in the final. This would accumulate to his second Masters 1000 title of the year, and third in his career. He would add one more title to that collection at the end of the campaign in Shanghai, coming out on top against Novak Djokovic.

Contrary to last year, when he only missed two events, he has only played in one Masters 1000 tournament in 2025, with a large portion of that due to his three-month doping suspension. He missed chances to add to his tally in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid before returning to his home event in Rome, where he achieved his best result in his native country, but lost out in the final to a dominant Alcaraz.

Tactically skipping the Canadian Open after triumph at SW19, he returned to action at Cincinnati, where he carried on his impeccable hardcourt form. He reached the final without even dropping a set, defeating Daniel Elahi Garan, Gabriel Diallo, Adrian Mannarino, Feliz Auger-Aliassime, and French qualifier Terence Atmane in the semis to reach his second Masters 1000 final of the year, and his fifth final of 2025, whilst only competing in six tournaments.He has won his last 26 hardcourt ties, whilst also winning the last 21 sets. He is in a league of his own on this particular surface, but if there is anyone who is going to beat him, it is his arch-rival, Alacaraz.

Alcaraz's final stats have been on another planet. He has competed in eight Masters 1000 and six Grand Slam finals, only losing out in two. The most recent one came at the hands of the Italian in Wimbledon, but his sole 1000 defeat came in Cincinnati two years ago against Djokovic, despite taking the first set.

The Spaniard has competed in three Masters 1000 finals since, with two of them coming this year, both coming on clay in a rampant series domination. He came back from a set down to defeat Lorenzo Musetti in Moncao, before taking down Sinner in Rome. He would then survive three championship points whilst two sets down in the Roland Garros final, before pulling off a remarkable comeback against the Italian. After losing his Wimbledon title, he followed in Sinner's footsteps by skipping the Canadian Open in need of some rest.

He returned to Cincinnati, where he got past Damir Dzumhur, Hamad Medjedovic, and Luca Nardi before surviving a scare against Rublev, just squeezing through in a tense final set. He would make lighter work of the world number three Zverev, before writing a touching tribute on the camera, which wished the German well after he struggled through the match with an injury.It is the sixth consecutive final between the pair, with them having played five semi-finals against each other in a row. Alcaraz currently is beating the Italian in the head-to-head 9-6, and has won five out of the last seven matches.

Sinner comes into the final with better momentum after lifting the Wimbledon trophy, but it is to be seen whether that is replicated on court. He has had a much easier route to the final than Alcaraz, having played fewer sets and only one seed in the form of Auger-Aliassime. This is compared to Alcaraz playing both Zverev and Rublev.

The world number one's hardcourt form makes him the firm favourite to take another hardcourt title, but Alcaraz has proved that whatever surface he is on, he can rise above his opponent no matter the level. He proved this as a 19-year-old when he took home the US Open back in 2022, his first Grand Slam. The final will be played on Monday, 18th August, with the US Open swiftly following in the footsteps, where it is expected they will face-off yet again in another Grand Slam final.