Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, tennis’ relentless new standard-bearers to meet in US Open final

NEW YORK: Carlos Alcaraz can hit any shot from anywhere on the court. A dazzling talent with wheels for feet and hands that can conjure magic at will, he plays with flair and joy – smiling through points, reversing line calls, injecting fresh energy into the sport.

As if that weren’t enough, he now brings a new laser-focused professionalism to the court. In his seventh Grand Slam final, Alcaraz arrived without dropping a set for the first time, but on Sunday, his firepower and newfound mental steel will face its toughest test yet, as he takes on the defending champion Jannik Sinner in a US Open shootout for the No. 1 ranking.

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The title clash, steeped in a rivalry shaped as much by contrasting personalities as by styles of play, will have President Donald Trump in attendance. Sinner, who took down Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second semi-final, is only the fourth man in the Open Era, after Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, to reach all four major finals in a single season. At 24, the Italian is the youngest to achieve the feat.
Their 15th meeting will mark another Open Era record, as it is the first time that two men will have played three major finals in the same season. It is only fitting then that Alcaraz has added a new dimension to his play.

“It is something that I'm working on, consistency in matches. Not having ups-and-downs,” said Alcaraz, who isn’t shy about discussing his development as a player. “I want to keep the level I start with really high during the whole match. I've been doing that in this tournament, which I'm really proud about.”

“I'm just getting mature, getting to know myself better,” he said, adding, “the things that I'm doing well off the court I'm doing really, really well, which helps me play my best tennis.” Alcaraz, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, admitted to being distracted by the Serb’s physical condition during the match. On Friday, his 38-year-old opponent was clearly hampered in the semi-finals, but Alcaraz put his head down and motored, shutting himself out of the scene down the other end of the court. “I realize how important it is to take care of all the details to be perfect,” said Alcaraz, who is on a 12-match winning streak.

“That is my biggest improvement.” The final showdown also seals a second straight Grand Slam sweep for the duo dubbed Sincaraz. “Physically he has improved a lot,” Alcaraz said of the world No. 1. “His matches are really demanding physically, that he's able to play at 100 percent for three-four hours is the biggest improvement he has made in the last few years.” Sinner highlighted the 22-year-old’s serve, broken just twice this fortnight, as the area where the Spaniard has made notable strides. “He has improved the serve a lot,” Sinner said. “I feel like he's serving much better with better pace, and the percentage is also very high. Also he’s much more solid, before there were more ups and downs in his game, but now he's very consistent.” Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 9-5, with the 24-year-old Italian clinching their last completed match at Wimbledon. Sinner, who needed treatment during his semi-final against Auger-Aliassime, said he had felt a twitch in the abdominal area in the second set.

The top seed was much better after the medical attention and by the end of the match was serving at his normal pace. After knocking out Djokovic, Alcaraz, the five-time major winner, was asked if he sees himself playing at the age of 38. “Roger (Federer) once told me that you don't have to think about 35, 38, if you’ll still be playing at that age,” the 22-year-old said. “He told me to be focused on the next five years, from now to when I am 27. And then, when I get to 27, then think about five years more. It's just about going year by year or just thinking about just five years maximum.” For now, it is the US Open final, a shot at a sixth major title and a chance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, which Sinner has held for 65 consecutive weeks.