Jannik Sinner will meet Carlos Alcaraz for the US Open title after the defending champion survived an injury scare to repel a spirited challenge from Félix Auger-Aliassime in four sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The world No 1 prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 21 minutes on Friday night, booking a third consecutive grand slam final against the Spaniard and underlining a rivalry that has already reshaped the men’s game.
The win made Sinner 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, and at 24 the youngest to do so. His streak of 27 straight victories at the hard-court majors equalled Djokovic’s best, with only Federer’s 36 still ahead. He has now reached five consecutive major finals, lifting trophies in Melbourne and at Wimbledon and standing one point from victory at Roland Garros before Alcaraz turned the match around. The No 1 ranking will also be on the line in Sunday’s final.
“It’s been an amazing season,” Sinner said. “The grand slams are the most important tournaments and to find myself in another final here, with such an amazing crowd, it doesn’t get better. It was very tough tonight but I’m happy I managed it. Sunday will be very special. Carlos and I know each other so well.”
Sinner looked on course for a routine evening as he broke twice in the opening set, taking it 6-1 in 43 minutes while Auger-Aliassime’s forehand betrayed him. When the Canadian squandered three break points early in the second set, all on second serves, the momentum seemed to be tilting further towards the top seed. Instead the match flipped. Auger-Aliassime, seeded 25th and playing his second slam semi-final after reaching the last four here in 2021, caught fire with thumping serves and bold groundstrokes, tearing off 12 of the final 13 points. He broke for 5-3 with a blistering inside-out forehand and sealed the set with successive aces, an Ashe crowd packed to the corners roaring behind the underdog.
Auger-Aliassime on the stretch against Sinner. Photograph: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock
By then Sinner had summoned the trainer for treatment on his stomach, feeling what he called “a small twitching” after a serve late in the second set. He left the court but returned reassured: “After the treatment I was feeling much better. At some point I didn’t feel anything anymore, so it was all good. Nothing to worry about.”
With a first-serve percentage already hovering below 50% dipping even further, Sinner steadied himself. At 3-2 in the third set he escaped danger with a run of aces, then broke when Auger-Aliassime’s forehand faltered at 2-4. He closed the set with a love hold, relying on placement and resilience to steady the match.
The fourth was the best passage of the night, both men trading hellfire and forcing each other into lung-busting rallies. At 2-2 Sinner faced three break points but wiped them away with trademark composure. In the next game Auger-Aliassime faltered again and Sinner pounced, painting the line with a forehand that his opponent could not chase down to break for 3-2. The Canadian continued to fight, but after more than three hours his legs looked heavy and Sinner never loosened his grip, closing the match with authority.
The numbers told the story: four breaks from 10 chances, nine of 10 break points saved, 33 winners to 22 errors. Auger-Aliassime, who has beaten Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur in a revitalising fortnight, will return to the top 20 and leaves New York reminded of his ability to trouble the elite. But the consistency of Sinner’s steel outweighed even his opponent’s purple patch in the second set. “There are many things I can be pleased with: the way I served, the way I hit the forehand, the belief I had that I could win these matches,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Even when I was struggling, I kept believing my time would come. That mentality is something I’ve been working on.”
The Canadian admitted the turning point came at the start of the fourth set, when he could not convert five break points. “If one of those forehands goes in, maybe I’m in a fifth set,” he said. “But I don’t have regrets. I played my way. You live and die with your choices.”
For Sinner the result confirmed the inevitability of Sunday’s final, where US president Donald Trump will be part of a sold-out crowd of more than 23,000 spectators. Earlier in the day Alcaraz had dismantled Djokovic in straight sets to reach his second US Open final. Together the pair have bent the sport to their will: by Sunday night they will have shared the past eight slam titles and 10 of the last 13, laying the foundation for a rivalry that already feels era-defining. Alcaraz leads the count five majors to four, and with the No 1 ranking also at stake, their duel at the summit could scarcely be more sharply defined.
“I love these challenges,” Sinner said when asked about facing Alcaraz again. “He’s someone who pushes me to the limit, which is great, because then you have the best feedback you can have as a player … But it’s also nice sometimes to not play against him,” he added with a smile.
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