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Jannik Sinner in one corner.
Carlos Alcaraz in the other.
The U.S. Open title and the world’s No. 1 ranking is at stake.
Arthur Ashe Stadium will be on fire Sunday afternoon for this epic clash and, really, did anyone expect any different?
These two men, referred to by some as “Sincaraz” or the “New Two,” will meet in their third consecutive grand slam final this year — the first time that has happened in the same year in the Open Era, dating back to 1968.
They have dominated the sport the last two years, much like they have owned Flushing the last two weeks.
Alcaraz has yet to drop a set.
Sinner has lost only two.
Between them, they have nine major titles, five by Alcaraz.
“This is kind of what everybody’s been waiting for,” ESPN tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe said in a phone interview. “Part of me was hoping to see an American maybe break through, like [Taylor] Fritz or [Ben] Shelton. There’s no doubt that these two guys are continuing to separate themselves from the pack, that’s just the bottom line. They’re far and away the two best players, as Novak [Djokovic] himself admitted, and he knows better than anyone.”
They have established themselves as the sport’s Big 2, much the way Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic owned men’s tennis not so long ago.
You have to go back to the 2023 U.S. Open for the last time Sinner or Alcaraz didn’t win a major.
That was the last grand slam title for Djokovic.
“When you look at the last two years, it’s exactly at that level, how dominant they are,” McEnroe said. “You can almost make the argument they are more dominant, how one-sided it’s been from the two of them and the rest of the field.”
The two staged a classic final at the French Open in June, a five-hour, 29-minute thriller won by the 22-year-old Alcaraz.
It was an instant classic, some experts calling it one of the great matches of all time.
At Wimbledon, it wasn’t nearly as memorable, Sinner cruising to a four-set victory.
After that match, Alcaraz admitted Sinner was better and he couldn’t do anything about it.
The Spaniard hasn’t lost since, and has won 45 of his last 47 matches.
Alcaraz holds an edge over the 24-year-old Sinner, winning nine of their 14 encounters.
The Italian has remarkably not lost on hard courts since a defeat to Alcaraz in the 2024 China Open final, winning his last 27 matches on that surface.
“I love these challenges. I love to put myself in these positions,” said Sinner, who has held his No. 1 ranking for 65 consecutive weeks. “You know, he’s someone who has pushed me to [my] limit, which is great because then you have the best feedback you can have as a player. We have faced each other quite a lot now lately, so things are getting a little bit different.”
It sets up a fascinating showdown.
While Sinner has had the better season, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz seems to have more momentum.
He had the tougher road to get to this point, having to go through Djokovic in the semifinals, but has hardly broken a sweat.
This marks the fifth straight tournament both men have entered in which they have met in the final.
Alcaraz knocked off Sinner in the French Open and Italian Open.
Sinner beat him at Wimbledon and Sinner had to retire in the first set of the Cincinnati Open due to a virus.
They will face off again Sunday afternoon, their second matchup in this tournament.
Alcaraz won the first one, a five-setter in the quarterfinals in 2022.
“I feel like our rivalry started here, playing an amazing match,” Sinner said. “We are two different players now, [we have] a different confidence, too. Let’s see what’s coming. We’ve played quite a lot this year, so we know each other very well.”
It is the kind of heavyweight bout the U.S. Open never got out of Federer and Nadal.
For all their success, the two giants never drew one another in Queens.
That’s not the case with Sinner and Alcaraz.
The next chapter in what is becoming a storied rivalry is set for Flushing on Sunday.
