PREVIEW US Open 2025 Men’s Final: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz face off for Grand Slam glory and No.1 battle

Sunday, 07 September 2025 at 19:31

The US Open final features Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz facing each other for the third consecutive time in a Grand Slam title decider. The world No. 1 — the defending champion in Flushing Meadows — is seeking his third major title of the season and fifth of his career, while the Spaniard is vying for his sixth major and second of the season.

Not only is a new Grand Slam title on the line, but so is the top spot in the rankings. If Alcaraz wins, he will return to the No. 1 position after two years — 104 weeks since he last held the top ranking (September 2023). Sinner currently holds the No. 1 spot for 65 consecutive weeks — the 11th longest streak in the Open Era — which makes him the 12th player with the most weeks as the ATP ranking leader.

A perfect final for the fourth Grand Slam of the year is set between the two best players in the world today, who will have their 15th encounter so far. This will be the sixth consecutive time they face each other in a final, as they seek glory once again in a major and with the added prize of the world No. 1 ranking at stake. The match is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 7th at 4:00 PM local time. In terms of European time, it will be 10:00 PM CET or 9:00 PM BST.

Sinner's masterclass continues

The world No. 1 is looking for his third title of the season, all of which have been at Grand Slam tournaments so far. After starting the year with the Australian Open title, he had a three-month suspension due to a controversial doping ban that kept him out of competition until the final part of the clay-court swing. He returned to play the Rome Open and Roland Garros, losing in both finals to Carlos Alcaraz.

The Italian managed to get revenge in the Wimbledon final, securing his fourth major title and his first outside of hard courts. He recently reached the final of the Cincinnati Open, where he was unable to finish the match due to physical problems, leaving Alcaraz with the title after his retirement. At the moment, Sinner has a 37-4 record for the season, with three of his defeats coming in finals against "Carlitos."

At Flushing Meadows, he has been truly dominant and has shown he is a step ahead of the rest of the tour. The Italian has run over most of the opponents he has faced, dropping sets on only two occasions, against the Canadians Denis Shapovalov (third round) and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals. In any case, he has barely received any opposition from his opponents, totaling 35 breaks in his favor and only 4 against him in the tournament.

Sinner’s path to the final

First Round: Sinner def. Vit Kopriva (CZE) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
Second Round: Sinner def. Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Third Round: Sinner def. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
Fourth Round: Sinner def. Alexander Bublik (KAZ) 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.
Quarterfinals: Sinner def. Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Semifinals: Sinner def. Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Unbreakable Alcaraz

For some time now, Alcaraz has seemed to be the only name that can truly give Sinner a headache. The Spaniard has had an impeccable year, with a 60-6 record and six titles so far this season, including Roland Garros—where he defeated Sinner in the final—and three Masters 1000 events.

"Carlitos" achieved his best-ever winning streak of 24 consecutive victories until the Wimbledon final, where he was surprised by Sinner, who ultimately got revenge for what happened at Roland Garros a month earlier. Alcaraz is now on another streak—with 12 consecutive wins—and is coming off a notable straight-sets victory against Novak Djokovic to go for his sixth Grand Slam title. At just 22 years old, this would allow him to equal legends like Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.

Alcaraz has been untouchable on his run through Flushing Meadows this year, where he has won all 18 sets he's played. For the first time in his career, he has reached a Grand Slam final without dropping a set, becoming the eighth player in the Open Era to reach the US Open final without conceding a set. He only had to play a tie-break twice: against Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 16 and against Djokovic in the semifinals, winning both without any major issues.

Alcaraz's path to the final

First Round: Alcaraz def. Reilly Opelka (USA) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
Second Round: Alcaraz def. Mattia Bellucci (ITA) 6-1, 6-0, 6-3
Third Round: Alcaraz def. Luciano Darderi (ITA) 6-2, 6-4, 6-0
Fourth Round: Alcaraz def. Rinderknech (FRA) 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4
Quarterfinals: Alcaraz def. Jiri Lehecka (CZE) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Semifinals: Alcaraz def. Novak Djokovic (SER) 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2

Rivalry renewed: Alcaraz and Sinner meet for 15th time

The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner continues to grow as they prepare for their 15th career meeting and sixth consecutive final. The Spaniard leads the head-to-head 9-5, having also won six of their last seven encounters, with the only exception being the 2025 Wimbledon final, where Sinner outlasted Alcaraz in four sets. This 15th meeting makes their rivalry the second most frequent among active players, behind the 27 matches between Djokovic and Wawrinka (21-6) and equaling the 15 between Djokovic and Medvedev (10-5).

This year, they have faced each other four times, all in finals. First on the clay courts of the Rome Open and Roland Garros, it was Alcaraz who claimed victory. Then on the grass courts of Wimbledon, Sinner emerged with the title. They met again on hard courts at the Cincinnati Open a few weeks ago, but they only played a handful of games before Sinner retired due to physical issues, giving Alcaraz another title and extending his lead in the head-to-head.

Read also

Hard courts are usually the most favorable surface for Sinner, but in their direct encounters on this surface, Alcaraz dominates with a 6-2 record. Alcaraz's impeccable level at the US Open could be described as the most flawless in the tournament, as he has not conceded a set (18-0), while Sinner dropped a couple against Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime (18-2).

Their recent Grand Slam final encounters include the epic five-and-a-half-hour, five-set battle at Roland Garros, where Alcaraz saved match points to win, and the Wimbledon final, where Sinner got his revenge despite the Spaniard being a slight favorite on the grass. What happened in Cincinnati can hardly be considered a true match, as it was only a handful of games and Sinner was not physically fit for the occasion.

Match Info: Jannik Sinner - Carlos Alcaraz

Start time (local): Sun, 7 Sep, 2:00 PM

Start time (your time): Mon, 8 Sep, 2:00 AM

Court: Arthur Ashe Stadium

Tournament: US Open

Round: Final

Head-to-Head

	Sinner	Alcaraz
H2H Record
Total Wins	6	10
Win Streak	0	1
Ranking
Official Ranking	1	2
Race Ranking	2	1
Live Ranking
Live Ranking	2 (-1)	1 (+1)
Live Race Ranking	2	1
Bios
Age	24 (16 Aug 2001)	22 (5 May 2003)
Birthplace	Innichen, South Tyrol, Italy	El Palmar, Murcia, Spain
Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco	Villena, Spain
Height	6'3" (191cm)	6'0" (183cm)
Weight	170lbs (77kg)	163lbs (74kg)
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Turned Pro	2018	2018
Coach	Simone Vagnozzi, Darren Cahill	Juan Carlos Ferrero (Head coach) (2019–), Samuel López (Assistant coach) (2024–)
YTD W/L	36-3 (92%)	57-6 (90%)
YTD Titles	2	5
Career Titles	20	22
Prize Money	US $46,279,987 - 8th all-time in earnings	US $48,486,628 - 6th all-time in earnings
Past Meetings
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Cincinnati - Final 5-0 18 Aug 2025
J Sinner d C Alcaraz Wimbledon - Final 4-6 \| 6-4 \| 6-4 \| 6-4 13 Jul 2025
C Alcaraz d J Sinner French Open - Final 4-6 \| 6-7 \| 6-4 \| 7-6 \| 7-6 8 Jun 2025
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Rome - Final 7-6 \| 6-1 18 May 2025
J Sinner d C Alcaraz Riyadh Exhibition - Final 6-7 \| 6-3 \| 6-3 19 Oct 2024
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Beijing - Final 6-7 \| 6-4 \| 7-6 2 Oct 2024
C Alcaraz d J Sinner French Open - Semifinal 2-6 \| 6-3 \| 3-6 \| 6-4 \| 6-3 7 Jun 2024
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Indian Wells - Semifinal 1-6 \| 6-3 \| 6-2 16 Mar 2024
J Sinner d C Alcaraz ATP Beijing - Semifinal 7-6 \| 6-1 3 Oct 2023
J Sinner d C Alcaraz ATP Miami - Semifinal 6-7 \| 6-4 \| 6-2 31 Mar 2023
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Indian Wells - Semifinal 7-6 \| 6-3 18 Mar 2023
C Alcaraz d J Sinner US Open - Quarterfinal 6-3 \| 6-7 \| 6-7 \| 7-5 \| 6-3 8 Sep 2022
J Sinner d C Alcaraz ATP Umag - Final 6-7 \| 6-1 \| 6-1 31 Jul 2022
J Sinner d C Alcaraz Wimbledon - Round of 16 6-1 \| 6-4 \| 6-7 \| 6-3 3 Jul 2022
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Paris - Round of 32 7-6 \| 7-5 3 Nov 2021
C Alcaraz d J Sinner ATP Challenger Villena - Round of 64 6-2 \| 3-6 \| 6-3 2 Apr 2019

Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.

In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.

See author's posts

claps 0visitors 0

When does the US Open Men's Final start? Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner braced for showdown in New York

"Let's give athletes hell for being injured": Marketa Vondrousova 'disgusted' at Coco Gauff's ex-coach for critical take on US Open withdrawal