Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the US Open champion for the second time in his career as he stormed past Jannik Sinner to seal a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory on the biggest stage in tennis – and reclaim the No.1 ranking.
Three years after he won his first Major title here as a teenager, the Spanish superstar cemented his status as the best player in the world by dropping just one set across seven matches to lift the trophy. Alcaraz and Sinner have now won the last eight Grand Slam titles between them.
Coming into the championship match, they made history by becoming the first male pair to face off in three Major finals in a single season. Aged 22, Alcaraz is now the second-youngest man in the Open Era to claim six Slams after Bjorn Borg. And he banks £3.7m ($5m) for his efforts here.
There was chaos when the final was delayed by half an hour due to enhanced security measures for those entering Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Donald Trump in the house. The US president received a mixed reaction of cheers and boos when he was shown on the big screen while the national anthem was sung ahead of the match.
The stands in the main showcourt were barely half full when play finally got underway, as thousands of fans queued outside to get in.
Alcaraz, who won the title here in 2022, set the tone when he broke Sinner in an eight-minute opening game. The Spaniard raced through the first set, hitting 11 winners to two unforced errors.
But the recent Wimbledon champion raised his level after saving a break point early in the second set, and errors started to creep into Alcaraz’s game.
The 22-year-old was broken for just the third time this tournament as Sinner ripped a forehand winner. And the Italian soon became the first man to take a set off of Alcaraz in Flushing Meadows this year.
The pendulum continued to swing, and Sinner was the one making costly mistakes as Alcaraz needed just over 20 minutes to storm into a 5-0 lead.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a one-sided set of tennis between these two,” retired British tennis star Laura Robson said courtside.
Sinner dug himself out of trouble again early in the fourth set. But he always seemed to be playing second fiddle to Alcaraz, and time was running out.
The Italian hit his fourth double fault of the match and then sent a forehand long to give the second seed a crucial break.
On his third championship point, Alcaraz sealed victory with a service winner – his 42nd winner of the match – and dropped to his knees before celebrating with a shadow golf swing, his trademark move at this year’s US Open.
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