NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have played so often, and with so much at stake lately, that they both know the other’s game so well.
So is the No. 1-seeded Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy, happy to be facing No. 2 Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, on Sunday at for the championship, the first time in tennis history the same two men will meet in ?
Well, yes and no.
鈥淲e are aware of maybe more things, because him or me, we try to prepare the match tactically and in different ways,鈥 said Sinner, who dismissed any concern about an abdominal muscle issue that arose in his . 鈥淏ut sometimes, it鈥檚 also nice to not play against him.鈥
Trump plans to attend Sinner vs. Alcaraz at the US Open
the final; no White House occupant has been at Flushing Meadows since Bill Clinton in 2000.
This hard-court showdown 鈥 with the winner also taking the top ranking 鈥 follows erasing a trio of match points on the French Open’s red clay in June for his fifth Grand Slam title and in July for his fourth.
鈥淚t’s great for the sport having rivalries,鈥 said Sinner, trying to become the in New York since 2008, when Roger Federer won his fifth U.S. Open in a row. 鈥淚鈥檓 someone who loves these challenges, and I love to put myself in these positions.”
Jannik Sinner has been nearly unbeatable 鈥 except against Carlos Alcaraz
Sinner has been close to unbeatable the last two seasons 鈥 , who leads their head-to-head series 9-5.
Sinner is into a fifth straight Slam final, dating to his , and he’s 33-1 at majors in that span, the lone blemish against Alcaraz in Paris.
Since the start of 2024, at all events, Sinner is 1-6 against Alcaraz and 109-4 against all other opponents.
Since the start of this May, Alcaraz is 36-1, with the loss coming against Sinner at the All England Club 鈥 also . Alcaraz leads the tour in wins (60) and titles (six) in 2025 and has reached the finals at his past eight tournaments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I鈥檓 working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year, in general. Just not having up-and-downs in the match. Just the level that I start the match, just wanted to keep that level really high during the whole match,鈥 Alcaraz said Friday after beating Novak Djokovic.
鈥淪o I鈥檓 thinking I鈥檓 doing that in this tournament, which I鈥檓 really proud about,鈥 added Alcaraz, who hasn’t dropped a set over these two weeks, thanks in part to an ever-improving serve. 鈥淧robably, I鈥檓 just getting mature.鈥
No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz expect adjustments in the US Open final
Knowing each other so well means that Alcaraz and Sinner figure they will make 鈥 and see 鈥 some tweaks in Arthur Ashe Stadium, where they first faced off in the 2022 quarterfinals, in a match that ended at 2:50 a.m. on his way to his first Grand Slam title. (Of note: Federer and Rafael Nadal never met once at the U.S. Open.)
鈥淪urely, Carlos will try to do something different than he did in the Wimbledon final. And we need to prepare for that. 鈥 We鈥檒l have to come up with some small tactical changes, too,鈥 said Simone Vagnozzi, one of Sinner’s two coaches. 鈥淭here are always adjustments. And there will be some during this match, so we always have to be ready. Carlos, we know, can vary things a lot and try different tactics.鈥
There is plenty of history to study.
鈥淚 will see what I did wrong, what I did great, in the (past) matches,鈥 Alcaraz said, 鈥渏ust to approach the final in a good way.鈥
They are far and away the best men鈥檚 tennis has to offer, no matter the surface.
Whoever wins Sunday, it will be the eighth straight major that ends with Sinner or Alcaraz receiving the trophy.
鈥淲e are players who are pretty complete, I鈥檇 say,” Sinner said. 鈥淲e can change the way we play. He, I think, he does it better in his way. I make my adjustments in my way.鈥
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP鈥檚 tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
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