ATP Tour
Alcaraz takes US Open crown, No. 1 from Sinner with New York triumph
Spaniard downs his great rival in four sets at hard-court major
September 07, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner in four sets on Sunday to claim his second US Open title.
By Andy West
Carlos Alcaraz dislodged Jannik Sinner’s grasp on two of tennis’ greatest honours on Sunday afternoon in New York.
Clubbing double the number of winners as Sinner, the Spaniard delivered a classy all-around display to down his great rival 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and claim his second US Open title. As well as denying Sinner back-to-back crowns at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz simultaneously ensured he will on Monday replace the Italian as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, ending his 65-week reign.
CHAMPION AGAIN 🏆 NUMBER ONE, ONCE MORE 🥇🔥
Alcaraz triumphs in New York, lifting the trophy again AND reclaiming his spot as World No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over Sinner 🚀@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/jKOqQMGS7E
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 7, 2025
Sunday’s championship match in New York was the third consecutive hotly anticipated Grand Slam final clash between Sinner and Alcaraz. True to form, the pair produced plenty of mesmerising rallies featuring ferocious groundstrokes and frequent forays to the net. Yet aside from the second set, when Sinner found consistency in his baseline striking to overwhelm his opponent and level the match, it was Alcaraz who maintained command throughout.
The 22-year-old outhit Sinner by 42 winners to 21 and dropped just nine points behind his first serve in a clinical two-hour, 42-minute display. Broken only once in the match, Alcaraz finished his US Open run having won 98 of 101 service games. He is the second Grand Slam singles champion to drop three or fewer service games en route to a title since 1991, after Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 1994 (103 of 106 service games won) and 1997 (116 of 118).
“My team, my family, I am really lucky to have you guys, to be honest,” said Alcaraz at the trophy presentation. “The hard work you do to make me even better, not only in the professional part, but the personal part as well. Every achievement that I am [making] is thanks to you, and this one is no less, it’s also yours.”
In his speech, Sinner was quick to congratulate Alcaraz, who has won a Tour-leading seven titles and 61 matches in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Between them, the two players have won the past eight majors.
“You are doing an amazing job,” Sinner said to Alcaraz and his team. “I know [there’s] a lot of hard work behind this performance today, you were better than me. Enjoy it. It’s a great moment.”
Alcaraz, who also secured his initial rise to World No. 1 with a US Open triumph in 2022, will on Monday return to the top of tennis’ mountain for the first time since September 2023. Coincidentally, that will also mark the 22nd anniversary of the day his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, first reached No. 1 after making the 2003 US Open final. Alcaraz is the second youngest man to win six major men’s singles titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg.
Youngest Men To Win Sixth Major Title (Open Era)
Sinner, who was on a 27-match winning streak at hard-court majors before Sunday, was bidding to become just the seventh man in the Open Era to win three Grand Slam singles titles in the same season. By reaching the final in New York, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion had already become the youngest man in the Open Era to play the final at all four majors in a season: Sinner also reached the final at Roland Garros, where he held three championship points before falling to Alcaraz in an all-time classic.
Yet while Alcaraz found his groove early inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Italian struggled to consistently produce his trademark combination of power and precision from the baseline. Alcaraz frequently dictated the extended rallies and he converted five of 11 break points he earned en route to extending his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Sinner to 10-5.
A star-studded crowd gathered inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Alcaraz overcome Sinner, who fell just short of completing the first successful US Open men’s singles defence since Roger Federer in 2008: Celebrities in attendance at Flushing Meadows included NBA star Steph Curry, rock icon Bruce Springsteen and Alcaraz’s countryman, football manager Pep Guardiola.
After the final was delayed by approximately 50 minutes due to security measures in place to accommodate US president Donald Trump, Alcaraz wasted little time taking control of the latest installment of his rivalry with Sinner. He took the ball early on return from the opening game and his approach appeared to rush Sinner, who made an uncharacteristically high nine unforced errors in the opening set alone.
With his back against the wall, Sinner found his footing by delivering a barrage of clean hitting to peg back Alcaraz in the second set. The 24-year-old did not make any obvious tactical changes to engineer that turnaround, but simply began to outlast his opponent in the baseline exchanges and he notched a decisive break to love in the fifth game.
Dropping his first set of the 2025 US Open only appeared to galvanise Alcaraz, however. Sinner was powerless to stop his opponent in the third set, when the Spaniard raced into a 5-0 lead and finished it off having remarkably outhit his opponent by 11 winners to one.
Sinner’s struggles to hold serve continued into the fourth set, and the Italian was forced to fend off two break points in the opening game. The pressure ultimately told in the fifth game, however, when Alcaraz broke serve for 3-2 and a lead that he never relinquished.
As well as securing his return to No. 1, Alcaraz has taken greater control of the race for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in 2025. He now leads Sinner by 2,590 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. Both players have already qualified for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.
