The smile of Carlos Alcaraz is splashing off the screen, after he has managed to crown himself with a hard service to US Open Champion. It fits well with the game that he has shown all evening: dominant, with few errors and many winners, and very strong serving game. In four sets he is his great rival Jannik Sinner this time the boss (6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4), who was a defender in New York. With that he also takes over the number one position of the Italian.
The dominance of numbers one and two of the world is large, the two stitches head and shoulders above the rest. For two years they have been neatly distributed the grand slam titles. Last year the hard court titles went to Sinner and Roland Garros and Wimbledon to Alcaraz. This year it was around. And it was the first time that the same two players were facing each other three times in one season in a grand slam final.
Although the matches between the two players are often blood -curdling, it was less exciting this time. Sinner managed to win the second set, but in the other three sets he actually had no chance and the difference in level was great. “You were better than me,” said the Italian in his speech, when he congratulated Alcaraz and his team.
Donald Trump
The presence of US President Donald Trump and the strict security that was necessary caused the necessary delay. The players were already warmed up and ready to get on the track at 8 p.m. Dutch time, but could only start their game more than half an hour later than planned. Not all spectators were admitted to the stadium at that time.
Trump’s visit caused a lot of dust anyway. He was invited by Rolex, one of the sponsors of the tournament. A remarkable choice of the Swiss watch brand, which may have to do with the unprecedented high import duties imposed on Swiss products last month.
The USTA, the American Tennis Association, had requested the sports channels who would broadcast the final to show any reactions from the audience to Trump as little as possible. In 2015, when he was only a presidential candidate, he was loudly shouted by the spectators. It was the last time he was present at the Grandslam tournament.
Also this time it was only partly possible to hide the public reactions: when the American president, who is not particularly popular in New York, came into the picture during the national anthem, the bow -call was unmistakable.
Strong beginning Alcaraz
If the game can finally begin, Trumps visit soon forgot. Alcaraz shoots directly from the starting blocks. After a few beautiful, long rallies, in front of the Spaniard so typical, he immediately comes ahead of a break. It is almost impossible for Sinner to repair that backlog. In the entire first set, Alcaraz only loses three points on its own service. He serves the entire tournament very strongly: only once was he broken in the six games prior to the final.
Alcaraz dominates in that first set. He determines the pace, does not give Sinner the time to take over rallies. The Italian is usually the one who takes away all the time with his opponents, so that they always run behind the facts and have no opportunity to do more than just defend. But Alcaraz gives him a cookie of his own dough in this final.
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The Spaniard visibly enjoys his own game. After a difficult ball that he more or less picks off the ground, a big smile appears on his face. “Wow,” you see him saying about his own point. After rallies that he still knows how to win in an unlikely way, he whips the audience.
It is what Alcaraz needs to play well: pleasure. Fun on the track, but also beyond. On the days when he has no competitions, he likes to play golf. It gives him the relaxation he needs to reach the level at which he is playing in New York this evening. Shortly after the victory, he refers to his new big hobby: with his tennis racket he makes a wave movement laughing.
Short revival sinner
It is difficult to imagine that something can go wrong for Alcaraz in the game. But, Eurosport commentator Kristie Boogert says after the first set: “It can be dangerous if everything you touch turns into gold changes. You have to keep that up, and that is difficult.”
The fourth game of the second set is a clear demonstration of how quickly a tennis match can tilt. At that time, Alcaraz has won three service games in a row without Sinner being able to get a point, there seems to be no dirt in the air for the Spaniard. But suddenly the 0-40 stands for Sinner, who seems to go a step. Suddenly it is the Italian who takes the initiative, determines the pace. Alcaraz is getting slightly sloppy. He does not win any point in that service game, and completely unexpected it is the number two in the world that is a break behind.
Sinner eventually wins the second set, the game seems to be open again. But just like in the first set, the Italian has to take a break immediately. From that moment on, he no longer has a chance. In the entire third set, he only hits one winner, compared to eleven from Alcaraz. And with just two unnecessary mistakes, the Spaniard hardly gives anything away.
In the last set, the score is a bit closer together. Yet Alcaraz ‘Dominance can still be seen in the numbers: he hits fifteen winners, Sinner only six. And although Alcaraz makes a little more mistakes than before, that is not enough to give Sinner a real chance. The Italian hits two more Championship Points, but does not know how to create a comeback from the caliber of the Roland Garros final earlier this year. Jannik Sinner must therefore not only give up the US Open title, but also the number one position he had had since June 2024.