Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner prepare to renew rivalry in US Open final

By Eleanor Crooks, PA Sport Correspondent, New York

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will do battle again for supremacy within their historic rivalry in the final of the US Open.

Never before in the open era have two men played each other in three grand slam finals in one season, but such is their dominance that it never really felt in question.

Since Sinner and Alcaraz played here in a dazzling quarter-final in 2022 that resulted in the US Open’s latest ever finish, they have been on a collision course.

And, after an even more remarkable clash at the French Open that somehow went the way of Alcaraz, Sinner gained revenge at Wimbledon to end a run of defeats against the Spaniard.

Now it is all on the line in New York, with the winner not just taking the lead in slam finals between them but also ending the week as world number one.

“I love these challenges,” said Sinner. “I love to put myself in these positions. He’s someone who pushed me to the 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. Always when we step on court, we are aware of maybe more things, because him or me, we try to prepare the match tactically and in different ways.

“Sometimes it’s also nice to not play against him. But it’s great for the sport having rivalries, having hopefully great matches in front of us.”

Alcaraz has looked marginally the more impressive here, with the 22-year-old aiming to become the first man in the open era to win the title without dropping a set.

The Spaniard’s weakness compared to Sinner was seen as a tendency to have more dips in level but he has now reached eight straight finals, with the defeat by his rival at Wimbledon his only loss since April.

“It’s great,” said Alcaraz. “It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency in the matches, in the tournaments, in the year in general.

“Just the level that I start the match, I just wanted to keep that level really high during the whole match. So I think I’m doing that in this tournament, which I’m really proud about.

“Probably I’m just getting mature. I’m just getting to know myself much better, what I need on and off the court. The things that I’m doing off the court I think I’m doing really, really well, which helps a lot.

“Probably this is the best level or the best feeling that I have so far in a tennis tournament or in a year. So I will try to continue like that.”

Sinner has dropped two sets, one to Denis Shapovalov in the third round and one in a high-level semi-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

He needed treatment for an abdominal problem during the contest but played down concerns afterwards.

Attention, meanwhile, will not just be focused on the court but in the stands, too, with United States president Donald Trump expected to be in attendance for the first time in 10 years.

People working at Flushing Meadows have been warned of tightened security measures, and it could prove to be a distraction for the players.

Alcaraz welcomed Trump’s visit, saying: “It is a privilege for the tournaments having the president from every country just to support the tournament, to support tennis, and to support the match.

“For me, playing in front of him, I will try not to be focused on that, and I will try not to think about it. I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it, but I think, attending the tennis match, it’s great for tennis to have the president coming to the final.”