World’s top two players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will face each other in their third consecutive Grand Slam final at the US Open, with President Donald Trump set to attend the match. The event marks Trump’s first appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2015 and the first time a sitting president will attend the US Open since Bill Clinton in 2000.
Top-seeded Sinner, the defending champion, aims to become the first player to successfully defend the US Open title since Roger Federer’s fifth consecutive win in 2008.
Alcaraz, who claimed his first of five Grand Slam titles in New York three years ago, has reached the final without dropping a set, a feat unseen in a decade.
“A lot of famous people come to the tournament, and we as players are aware of that. It means that tennis is important,” said Sinner.
The presidential visit continues Trump’s recent appearances at major sporting events, following his attendance at the NFL’s Super Bowl in February and the FIFA Club World Cup final in July.
During Trump’s last visit to the US Open in 2015, he and wife Melania were met with boos from the crowd. Organisers have reportedly requested broadcasters avoid showing any negative reactions to Trump during Sunday’s final.
Enhanced security measures are in place, requiring spectators to pass through an additional checkpoint before entering Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Alcaraz has dominated recent matchups with Sinner, though the Italian is experiencing an exceptional Grand Slam season.
At the French Open, Alcaraz saved three championship points to defeat Sinner, preventing him from pursuing a calendar Slam. Sinner responded by winning their Wimbledon final matchup, adding to his Australian Open victory earlier this year.
“I feel like our rivalry started here playing an amazing match. We are two different players now, with different confidence too. It’s great for the sport having rivalries, having hopefully great matches in front of us…He’s someone who pushed me to the limit,” said the 24-year-old Sinner.
Alcaraz, 22, defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, halting the Serbian’s pursuit of a 25th major title. He enters his seventh Grand Slam final leading the head-to-head record against Sinner 9-5, winning six of their last seven encounters.
“Obviously I’m going to take things about the last matches that I’ve played against him. I’m going to take note, and I will see what I did wrong, what I did great. His matches are really demanding physically that he’s able to play at his 100% during two, three, four hours, and I think that’s the biggest improvement he has made in the last years,” said Alcaraz.
The Spaniard has won 36 of his last 37 matches, with his only defeat coming against Sinner at Wimbledon.
“I am performing at a high level and sending a message to the people on the circuit that this is my level. It is not my maximum level, I still have room to improve, but it is a high level,” Alcaraz stated.
The world number one ranking is at stake in Sunday’s final, reminiscent of Alcaraz’s 2022 final victory over Casper Ruud. Alcaraz previously held the distinction of being the youngest world number one at age 19, but hasn’t held the top spot for two years.
“It’s a good goal, but we’ve tried not to focus too much on it in this tournament. It will remind me of the 2022 final, when I was playing for a Slam and the number one spot. It will be like a flashback. But winning a Grand Slam comes before being number one,” Alcaraz concluded.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
