By Tony Fairbairn
- Carlos Alcaraz [2] def Jannik Sinner [1] 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4
- Carlos Alcaraz admitted it was ‘the best tournament that I have ever played’ after defeating Jannik Sinner to become the US Open champion and world number one.
NEW YORK, USA – Carlos Alcaraz described his US Open glory as ‘super special’ as he dethroned Jannik Sinner to become the new world number one.
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Carlos Alcaraz [2] def Jannik Sinner [1] 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz is the US Open champion! The Spaniard defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second US Open title. It also means that Alcaraz has dethroned Sinner at the top of the world rankings to become the new world number one. The Grand Slam season has come to an end with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing all four Grand Slams equally.
There was an early statement of intent from Alcaraz as he broke in a long opening game with some ferocious play. The lack of consistency on serve from Sinner was costing the Italian although the resilience and competitiveness couldn’t be questioned as he dug deep to put pressure on Alcaraz. However, the Spaniard’s serving continued to impress as he eased through his service games and soon enough punished Sinner’s vulnerable second serve to break again before wrapping up the opening set in 37 minutes.
It was a match that saw neither player play well at the same time unlike their previous two Grand Slam finals against each other. There was a dip in form from Alcaraz in the fourth game of the second set and Sinner pounced to break to love for a 3-1 lead. Under the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Italian suffocated Alcaraz’s play in the big moments extending his lead to 4-1. Despite the deficit, Alcaraz refused to go down without a fight and the Spaniard pushes Sinner all the way but the Italian produced some confident patterns of play to seal the second set and level this contest at one set all.
The anticipation was that this match would burst into life but that never materialised. A clinical and efficient Alcaraz turned the pressure back on Sinner but the Italian’s serve was not consistent enough to pass the test. An early 3-0 lead from Alcaraz was secured and he was threatening the double break. A mix of variety, net play and powerful baseline shots allowed Alcaraz to dictate play as the 5-0 lead was his. There was a consolation for Sinner towards the end of the set in what was a dominant third set as the Spaniard was now one set away from the title and the world number one ranking.
There was no sign of giving up from Sinner as he was hoping to overcome his serving frailties to mount an epic US Open comeback. Despite his best efforts, that never happened as Alcaraz broke in the fifth game for a 3-2 lead. Under pressure, Alcaraz remained composed, bold and stuck to his plan as he refused to give Sinner a sniff at a chance to break back.
On his third match point, Alcaraz sealed victory to claim a second US Open title, a sixth Grand Slam title and is now the new world number one. Having only been broken on three occasions in the whole tournament, Alcaraz was comfortably the best player of the tournament and showed his worth. That brings to an end a dramatic Grand Slam season, phew.
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‘The best tournament so far that I have ever played’
Hard work pays off for Alcaraz as the Spaniard is back at the top of the ATP rankings after winning his second US Open title.
A sixth Grand Slam title in total as he continues to raise his game to new heights in a bid to be the best.
It was also a significant tournament for Alcaraz who only dropped one set throughout the fortnight and was comfortably the best player in the tournament.
Speaking on his win over Sinner, Alcaraz stated that this is the best tournament he’s ever played as he regained his world number one ranking.
“I feel like this is the best tournament. Since the first rounds to the end of the tournament, the best tournament so far that I have ever played,” Alcaraz told the ATP website.
“The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really, really high, which I’m really proud of, because it’s something that I’ve been working on, to be really consistent.
“Since I got the chance to recover the No. 1, it was one of the first goals that I had during the season, just to try to recover the No. 1 as soon as possible or end the year as the No. 1. For me, achieving that once again, it is a dream. Doing [it] in the same day as getting another Grand Slam feels even better. It’s everything I’m working for, and I’m really happy to be able to live these experiences.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s great. I’m working really hard just to lift this trophy. It’s my second one, but it’s still a dream, a dream come true. The second one here is super special.”
It’s been an incredible Grand Slam season from Alcaraz and Sinner with the pair splitting the Grand Slams equally.
Alcaraz claimed glory at Roland Garros and in New York while Sinner came out on top at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Speaking on the specific match-up, Alcaraz admits that he tries to learn from each match as both players continue to raise their standards in order to beat the other in what is already an iconic rivalry.
“I love watching him play. I think it is unbelievable what he’s doing,” Alcaraz said in praise of Sinner to the ATP website.
“Secondly, it’s because I love to study him, how he plays, how he feels on the tournaments just [so] if I played him in that tournament, just to have feedback how he’s been playing in the tournaments.
“I wouldn’t say he’s predictable, but I know his style. I know what he’s going to do or his main weapons [in] his game. So I just try to be focused on that.”
Having dominated the field to claim the US Open title, Alcaraz will now be confident of trying to keep the world number one until the end of the season.
However, the next goal for the Spaniard is actually beyond that and that is to try and claim the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open next year.
It’s something Alcaraz is determined to achieve as he heads to Melbourne in January in his bid for more history.
“It’s my first goal, to be honest,” Alcaraz said of the achievement to the ATP website.
“When I just go to the preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, Australian Open is there. It’s the first or second tournament of the year, and it is always the main goal for me to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam. So it’s going to be great.”
‘I was very predictable today on court’
A bitter blow for Sinner as his reign as world number one ends at 65 weeks and his Grand Slam hard court undefeated streak ends at 27 matches.
It was a phenomenal match from Alcaraz against an inconsistent Sinner, who had trouble with his serving throughout the tournament.
After the final, Sinner praised Alcaraz for his performance as the Italian has time to reflect on what went wrong.
“He has improved. I felt like [he] was a bit cleaner today. The things I did well in London, he did better today,” Sinner explained to the ATP website.
“That’s [the] result. I felt like he was doing everything slightly better today, especially serving, both sides, both swings very clean. I think that’s it, I give lots of credit to him, because he handled the situation better than I did. He raised his level when he had to.
“I’m still proud of myself, about the season I’m playing and making, but yeah, he played better than me today.”
In the wake of such significant defeats, champions find solutions to continue to raise the bar of the rivalry.
Just as Alcaraz worked on problem solving his way past Sinner, the Italian will look to do the same.
After the match Sinner admitted he has become too predictable and is willing to lose matches against the rest of the field in order to become a more unpredictable and better tennis player.
“I was very predictable today on court,” Sinner told the ATP website.
“He did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays. Now it’s going to be on me if I want to make changes or not. That’s definitely [what] we are going to work on. I’m trying to be more prepared for the next match that I will play against him.
“It also depends on how you arrive to play against Carlos. One thing is when the scoreline [or] matches before are comfortable but you always do the same things, like I did, for example, during this tournament, I didn’t make one serve-volley, didn’t use a lot of drop shots, and then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos where you have to go out of the comfort zone.
“So I’m going to aim to maybe even lose some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player. At the end of the day, that’s my main goal.
“Sometimes adding just something, and I think that’s going to be or that’s going to make a difference from my personal point of view that I can say that I’m going to become a better tennis player. I’m going to change a couple of things on the serve, just small things, but they can make big differences. Then we see how it goes. I’m looking forward to playing these matches again.
“Something new is now I’m not No. 1 anymore, so it also changes a little bit that you chase.”
It’s not all negative for Sinner who leaves this Grand Slam season having won two Grand Slam titles and participated in the most iconic Grand Slam final of all time.
Reflecting on his season, Sinner admits he is very proud of what he has achieved this year ahead of the end of the year.
“Overall, the season result-wise, amazing,” Sinner proudly admitted to the ATP website.
“Four Grand Slam finals of the year. Two Grand Slams won, two times lost in the final, it’s incredible results, no? [I’m] very happy, and now we try to finish the year as strong as we can.”
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