Key events
Sinner will look back at today and accept he can play much, much better. But he needs to find a way of targeting Alcaraz’s backhand, because the fore was impregnable today. Righto, it’s presentation time, Ivan Lendl leading.
Every time one of these raises the level, the other goes over the top with a re-raise. The difference today was Alcaraz’s serving, improving in front of our eyes in real time, and if he can maintain his level , he was broken just three times in the tournament , it’s hard to see how he can be stopped. Just as similar was so of Sinner after Wimbledon, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with in Melbourne. Today, though, Alcaraz was the better player and by far, offering up just one break point and melding solidity with creativity better than ever before. He celebrates with his team and it’s a joy to behold , you can see they’re all having an absolute time, which is exactly as it should be.
Carlos Alcaraz (2) beats Jannik Sinner (1) 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 to win the US Open
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 4-6 Alcaraz* Alcaraz dashes out to serve: he’s been ready for this moment since losing at Wimbledon, his good nature part of what makes him such a terrifying assassin, not a sign of weakness. He quickly makes 15-0 and a forehand winner 30-0, but a miss gives Sinner the sniff of a sniff. A drop comes next, the champ rushes in, flicks back cross … and wide! Two championship points Alcaraz! Sinner saves the first with a forehand to the corner , was he offered a slightly nervous ball to go at? , then a backhand return flies down the line for a winner, and that’s deuce! Can the champ do what was done to him in Paris? A big serve, a backhand and overhead say not, Alcaraz laughing to himself in the aftermath , he’s enjoying this! , and an ace out wide secures the title! Carlos Alcaraz is, as they say in NYC, half-man, half amazing, and that is as wondrous a final performance as you can hope to see. A beautiful, devastating and precise display was far too good for Sinner, his modal level higher but his top level lower. He’ll be back, but when the new champ plays like this, he’s close to unbeatable. Every single one of us loves him, even Jannik Sinner, and that is the greatest tribute of all.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 4-5 Alcaraz At 0-15, you fear for Sinner, who’ll have known he might lose but would never have expected he might lose like this, outgunned as well as outplayed. He does, though, recover to 40-15 … only to go long on the backhand, and again, he’s under pressure; in his box, the normally unflappable Darren Cahill stands with nerves, but Alcaraz nets a backhand meaning that after change of ends, he must serve for the championship. There’s no sense whatsoever that he won’t see it out, but no one would be surprised if he couldn’t. How on earth do these guys keep themselves composed? I’m in bits and I’m sat on a seat eating sweets.
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 3-5 Alcaraz* A(nother) big serve, 15-0; a(nother) big serve backed up by a swing-volley, 30-0. An ace follows, and I’ve never seen Sinner out-hit like this, not even by Alcaraz. He holds to love and, given the opponent and given the context, this is one of the greatest serving performances I’ve ever seen. The Spaniard is game away and, though he came back from a worse position to win in Paris, there’s no sense this is on today.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 3-4 Alcaraz Sinner badly needs a comfy hold here , he’s not had one to love all match , but just as he looks set, Alcaraz makes 40-15. No matter: a return is swatted long and the champ is still in the match, just. Can he get something going before it’s too late?
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 2-4 Alcaraz* At 15-0, Alcaraz misses a forehand down the line, not words I’ve typed often today, then Sinner climbs into two forehands of his own, making 15-30. But have a look! Alcaraz dematerialises an ace out wide, at 132mph too , his joint-fastest of the tournament , then another animal, supported by a forehand, allows him to kiss over a volley … before he astonishes another ace, this time down the T. Each time these two meet, one of them delivers a performance that ups the ante, and that’s exactly what Alcaraz is up to here.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 2-3 Alcaraz At 15-0, another ridiculous point, Alcaraz returning well then Sinner playing a fine volley on the stretch … only to send his follow-up wide, just. A service-winner follows, but a needlessly long forehand means that at 30-all, the champ is again shoved under the pump, and a double shows the extent to which he’s feeling it. At break point, Alcaraz can feel the presence of the trophy, all the more so when given a second serve at which to go, and he plays the kind of rally Sinner likes to force when in control, keeping the ball in court so his desperate opponent has to go big … and the champ overhits a forehand! By a way! Alcaraz leads 2-1 3-2 with a break, and he’s three holds away from the title! He’s been near-perfect today.
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 2-2 Alcaraz* At 15-all, Alcaraz powers down an ace at 131mph , that part of his game is improving in real time , but Sinner then wins a battle of improbable forehands, retrieving from out wide to go cross, the riposte missing, but only just. At 40-30, though, Alcaraz finds another first serve and it’s enough for the hold; we’re told that on those points, he’s 34-5 for the match.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 2-1 Alcaraz At 15-0, Alcaraz scoops a forehand from centre to corner, his timing supreme. But Sinner keeps the head, skidding in to dispatch a volley, then clenching fist when a return is netted. From there, he closes out a more definitive hold, and this set is on a rolling boil.
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 1-1 Alcaraz* Sinner will be feeling a little better after that, but at the same time will know he’s currently second-best. So he tries to up the aggression, hitting harder towards the backhand, but Alcaraz is in really good control of himself, making 40-15 then toying with the champ, a drop, then a lob, then a pass securing a statement-hold. Almost immediately, pressure is transferred back to Sinner.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 1-0 Alcaraz A mistake from Sinner hands over 0-15, but Alcaraz then goes long on the forehand; 15-all. Then, at 30-15, a monstrous forehand return facilitates the clean-up, and these next points feel crucial … all the more so when Alcaraz anticipates a backhand down the line, gets to it in time to unleash on the forehand, and when Sinner can’t pass he has break point at 30-40. The champ, though, has the bottle and skill to clout a forehand on to the line , Alcaraz still almost gets it back in improbable fashion , then makes advantage, only to be diddled by a drop, the rapier and the broadsword deployed in equal measure. Back to deuce we go and a double follows, the pressure on the champ telling: the match might be here. So Sinner pays a delicious volley, Alcaraz sprints to retrieve, somehow getting it back … but the putaway is left and taken. Again, though, Sinner can’t close out after making advantage, a backhand return to the ankles too good. This is so intense it puts Glastonbury to shame, Sinner restoring his ad with a one-two serve-backhand combo, then Alcaraz spanks a forehand flat and long; after 10 minutes, Sinner has his hold, surviving two break points in the process.
Carlos Alcaraz wins the third set 6-1 to lead Jannik Sinner 2-1
Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-6 Alcaraz* An ace out wide makes 15-0; a service-winner follows. And though Sinner then lands a return close to the line, seeing out the rally for 30-15, a backhand falls long to raise two set points, and an unreturned serve then secures things. That was a very serious set (of tennis) from Alcaraz, and Sinner needs two straight to retain his title.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 1-5 Alcaraz I think the major difference here is Alcraz’s versatility: he can send Sinner running about the court, inventing angles, whereas Sinner tends to rely on straight-line power. At 15-0, a forehand to the corner, followed by a buggy-whip swing-volley winner , seriously! , makes Alcaraz 15-all. From there, though, the champ closes out avoiding the bagel and forcing the Spaniard to serve for set three.
Sinner 2-6 6-3 0-5 Alcaraz* Down 0-15, Alcaraz splatters an ace down the T, then scythes another out wide and on to the line; a wrong-footing forehand follows, and this is tennis so inspiring I want to cry, laugh and climb inside it for ever. From there, the Spaniard closes out, and he’s a game away from 2-1.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 0-4 Alcaraz Sinner nets a forehand then slings another long and wide; he’s in grave danger of surrendering this set. And when Alcaraz nails a return, then clobbers a forehand winner cross-court, he’s three double-break points down. The first is saved when the Spaniard goes for too much, but that’s what’s brought him to this point, so he won’t recriminate too much … and Sinner goes long with another forehand! Alcaraz breaks for the fourth time tonight, as many times as Sinner had been broke in the competition prior to tonight, and the third set is almost over. Carlos Alcaraz is mesmeric.
Sinner 2-6 6-3 0-3 Alcaraz* Sinner quickly makes 0-30, and these are some crucial points coming up. The first looks over when Alcaraz schmeisses a forehand to the corner, but a tremendous get sends the ball bouncing deep, close to the baseline … and have a look! A bounce-smash, swinging away like it’s come out of Wasim Akram’s hand, makes 15-30, an ace follows, and more net sorcery secures the consolidation. Alcaraz salutes the crowd, back in control of this match, his ability to mine seams of genre-busting form like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 0-2 Alcaraz Between games, we see that in set two, Sinner sent way more balls to Alcaraz’s backhand, which makes sense: the forehand was controlling the match. And, as I type, a cross-court return makes 0-15, then further aggression earns 0-30; naturally Sinner soon levels things, the look on his face that of a man who knows. But when he sends a backhand wide, Alcaraz has break point, noising up the crowd to get himself going while upping the pressure on the champ, who serves massively … but Alcaraz punishes a forehand return … and Sinner sticks his putaway wide! That’s the stress of playing this man for this trophy, and for the third srt in a row, we’ve an early break!
Sinner 2-6 6-3 0-1 Alcaraz* In the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz won set one before Sinner settled and took the next three; I wonder if we’ll see something similar here, consistency outlasting creativity. I certainly get the sense that the Spaniard needs to win from the front , I can’t see him coming back from 2-1 down , and at 30-all, he absolutely devastates a buggy-whip forehand that elicits the loudest “Vamos!” we’ve enjoyed in a while. Sinner then nets, and that’s a really important hold secured.
Jannik Sinner takes the second set against Carlos Alcaraz 6-3 to level the match at one-all
*Sinner 2-6 6-3 Alcaraz A forehand winner but then a forehand sent long; 15-all, and Sinner can’t get away. But Alcaraz is unusually tentative when sent a second serve and, though he works his way into the rally with further loopy forehands, a drop allows sinner into the net, and he kills the point from there. A big serve then makes 40-15 before Alcaraz overhits a swing-volley, and that’s a set apiece. Sinner didn’t play as well as his opponent did in the first, but the early break and solid serving did the trick. I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen next; good!
Sinner 2-6 5-3 Alcaraz* Serving to stay in the set, Alcaraz nets a forehand, but a booming T-serve makes 15-all; an ace out wide follows behind. Next comes a service-winner then after an error, then another service-winner. Alcaraz has lost just 10 points on his serve all match; the problem he has is that four were in the same game, which is why Sinner will now serve for a set apiece.
*Sinner 2-6 5-2 Alcaraz Oh! Sinner frames one for 0-15, but Alcaraz then goes long on the backhand to end a rally of rare brutality, remonstrating with himself thereafter. He does, though, make 15-30 when the champ strays long, only to net when readying himself to unleash. From there, he closes out, and there are two differences in this set: Sinner’s second serve is much improved, while Alcaraz’s forehand isn’t as hot.
Sinner 2-6 4-2 Alcaraz* There’s something profoundly moving about two young people captivating the world with their brilliance; in the sense that by watching them, we’re participating in art and history at the same time. At 15-0, Alcaraz pats a volley wide, but he then tickles a beauty over the net for 30-15; Spike Lee loves it, and there’s little greater praise than that. From there, the game is quickly closed out, and might we be reaching the surprisingly elusive stage of both players playing well at the same time?
*Sinner 2-6 4-1 Alcaraz Sinner opens the game with a double, but at 40-15 thuds a forehand into the net and faces stress. But he knew if he kept calm, he’d warm as Alcaraz cooled and that’s exactly what’s happening: to secure the game, he bangs away from the back, and there’s been a change in his body language over the last 15 minutes or so.
“At 1-1 in the second,” returns wa Bryan.
Sinner 2-6 3-1 Alcaraz* Alcaraz misses a forehand for 0-15, something for Sinner to build on … and he does, monstering a forehand return, laying a drop, and cleaning up at net. He raises his arm, a signal that he feels part of this match now, then Alcaraz goes long on the backhand and the champ has his first break points of the match! And he only needs one, a forehand to feet reversing momentum in the rally before a forehand pass seals the deal! It is scientifically, biologically impossible for these two not to deliver us a classic.
*Sinner 2-6 2-1 Alcaraz A backhand slice then a backhand down the line help Alcaraz make 0-15, but he’s then outhit from the back for 15-all. An ace out wide follows, then a wrong-footing forehand, and is Sinner growing into this? He holds comfortably, and it feels like we’re building to the match’s next juncture-point.
Sinner 2-6 1-1 Alcaraz* Thirteen service-points in a row for Alcaraz, who holds to love. Sinner is hanging in there, hoping his level drops.
“There are still significant queues of spectators waiting to get inside Ashe, returns wor Bryan. The get-in-the-door price for a single ticket on the resale market today was about $600.”
*Sinner 2-6 1-0 Alcaraz “A lot of boos,” reports Laura Robson on the crowd reaction to a shot of Trump. Meantime, Sinner seeks to get himself going but at 30-15, a netted forehand is followed by a double, and Alcaraz will be inhaling the deep stench of opportunity. All the more so when a cunning forehand switches momentum in the next rally, and at 30-40, Sinner must find something because if he doesn’t the match might just disappear before he’s participated in it. And he does, a brave second serve helping him to deuce before a crucial hold is secured.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so ambivalent about watching a sporting event before, writes Jonathan Gresty. “Here we have two young wizards performing near miracles of dexterity and acrobatics and in their presence is pretty much the biggest lump of odiousness in the free world wearing his horrible suit (and equally horrible tie) basically being enabled by the whole sporting community to lord it over us all by sitting there in all his bloated pomp and vanity.”
It’s a state of affairs, isn’t it. Sport is, I’m afraid a victim of its own success, so brilliant that the worst people in the world are eager to co-opt it, though the supine submission of its leaders , not restricted to tennis or to today , is an unnecessary blight on our civilisation.
Carlos Alcaraz takes the first set against Jannik Sinner 6-2
*Sinner 2-6 Alcaraz More forehand wizardry makes 30-0, then Alcaraz comes in and spreads, almost like he’s offering Sinner out; the attempted pass hits the net. And from there, an unreturned serve secures a domineering 6-2 set; it’s not humanly possible to play much better than that.
“He’s the better tennis player,” is Coach Calv’s summation of what we’ve seen so far. “Has more of everything other than straight-line power.”
And he’s plenty of that , especially today. His forehand has been immaculate, his use of it so intelligent.
*Sinner 2-5 Alcaraz Goodness, at 15-all, Alcaraz stops in the point, digging out a fine pass on the stretch from behind his arse. But when the ball sits up, you expect Sinner to stick it away, only he swats wide and again, is under pressure … all the more so when Alcaraz ups pace on the forehand, flat and close to the baseline. At 15-40, he has two break, almost set points, and a second serve at which he can go. Unusually, he tamely flaps into the net but, when Sinner comes it his attempted pass is there for the putaway volley … but the champ nets! He’s not at it here, and after change of ends, Alcaraz will serve for a dominant first set, his forehand controlling the match.
Sinner 2-4 Alcaraz* Alcaraz is so burly, but his hands are so deft; what a combination. And at 30-0, with Sinner well in the point, he shows us the same again, a forehand spinning cross-court into the corner; a service-winner follows. Sometimes, he looks a little lost in the supermarket, slightly unsure what to choose given the multitude of options, but so far today he’s in perfect control of himself.
*Sinner 2-3 Alcaraz At 0-15, Alcaraz comes in, contorts, and takes a volley off his tootsies for a clean winner, racket pointed down, Edberg-style, to break the sideline; that is beautiful. Sinner responds with a big serve, then punishes a forehand to the corner to restore parity, and from there he secures his hold. He’s second-best for now, but he’s still playing pretty well.
I was thinking of Rybakina as well,” says Cynthia Meredith, “but you make a valid point about her consistency. I’d also add 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva based on her talent level and commitment to improving her game, but if you’re literally speaking of slam wins in the next few years, Andreeva might still be a bit young.”
I agree. I love Andreeva , not just her talent but her attitude , and take very seriously the opinion of Conchita Martinez, her coach, who thinks she’s ready. But I can’t see that it’s imminent, though I can see her beating the top players at majors.
Sinner 1-3 Alcaraz* Alcaraz has started this match like a demon and already, every point is an occasion, a story in and of itself. And the first of his service-game is seized by Sinner, nailing a return, approaching, and putting away the overhead. The standard is absolutely stratospheric, even more so than in their previous finals , it feels like both men are now settled into their status, able to relax into their natural selves from the off. Alcaraz makes 40-15 but then Sinner sends him to the corner, slides into a volley, and gives himself a sniff. But when the drop comes next point, his lob sails long, and that’s another hold secured.