Alcaraz beats Djokovic at the US
Open and now meets Sinner for the 3rd Grand Slam final in a row
[September 06, 2025]
By HOWARD FENDRICH
NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz was about to start a series of TV
interviews to discuss the way he used his youth, athleticism and
creativity to beat the much more accomplished, but also much older,
Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the U.S. Open semifinals Friday.
First, though, Alcaraz asked everyone to hold on for a moment. He
pulled his cell phone out of a pocket so he could check the score of
Jannik Sinner's semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. It was
still only the first set of that match, but you've got to keep tabs
on your biggest rival, right?
A few hours later, Sinner would finish off his 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
victory over Auger-Aliassime, establishing the Flushing Meadows
final that somehow seemed inevitable, even if unprecedented: No. 1
Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz will meet Sunday to decide the U.S. Open
champion, marking the first time the same two men have played each
other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within one season.
"These two players," said Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, “are
the best in the world right now.”
No doubt about that. They have established themselves as far and
away the elite men in the game.
No matter Sunday’s result, the duo will have split the past eight
major trophies and taken 10 of the past 13. Their career totals:
Alcaraz owns five Slam titles, Sinner four.
And the No. 1 ranking will be on the line Sunday, when President
Donald Trump plans to attend.
Alcaraz defeated Sinner at the French Open in June; Sinner defeated
Alcaraz at Wimbledon in July.
Sinner is trying to become the first repeat men’s champion in New
York since Roger Federer won the hard-court tournament five years in
a row from 2004 through 2008. Sinner also has made it to five
straight Grand Slam finals, a stretch that started at the U.S. Open
12 months ago.
Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a set as he pursues his sixth major title and
second at Flushing Meadows.
Go back to April, and Alcaraz is 44-2, making it to the finals at
each of his last eight tour-level events.
“It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the
matches, on the tournaments, on the year, in general. Just not
having up-and-downs in (a) match,” Alcaraz said. “Probably, I’m just
getting mature, just getting to know myself much better, what I need
on, off the court.”
Since the start of 2024, Sinner is 1-6 against Alcaraz — and 109-4
against anyone else.
“We have played quite a lot this year,” Sinner said. “So we know
each other very well.”
Alcaraz had lost his two most recent matches against Djokovic — in
the gold-medal final at the Paris Olympics last year, and in the
Australian Open quarterfinals this January.
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Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, hugs Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, after
losing to Alcaraz in the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open
tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty
Wigglesworth)
“It’s not easy playing against him, to be honest,”
Alcaraz said. “I’m thinking about the legend; what he has achieved
in his career. It’s difficult not to think about it.”
But by the end, Djokovic was “gassed out,” as he described it
afterward, and seemed resigned to the result. The 38-year-old from
Serbia reached the semifinals at all four Slams this season but
exited in that round each time, three via losses to No. 2 Alcaraz,
22, or Sinner, 24.
“It’s frustrating on the court when you are not able to keep up with
that level physically, but at the same time, it’s something also
expected, I guess,” Djokovic said. “It comes with time and with
age.”
His bid to become the first player in the sport’s history to get
Slam No. 25 was blocked again, and he thinks part of the issue is
trying to overcome much younger men in best-of-five set matches.
“I still want to play ... (a) full Grand Slam season next year,”
Djokovic said. “Let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not, but
... Slams are Slams. They are just different from any other
tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important
tournaments we have. But I do fancy my chances a bit more in
best-of-three.”
He led Alcaraz 3-0 in the second set, but couldn’t sustain that
level.
“Today, I’d say, it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me,”
said Alcaraz, whose 30 unforced errors were the same as Djokovic’s
total, “but I just kept a cool level (from) the beginning until the
last point.”
He was wearing a pink, sleeveless shirt and sporting nearly a full
head of hair less than two weeks after showing up with a buzz cut he
said was necessary when his brother tried to play barber but messed
up.
Asked whether he’ll stick with the new look if he wins on Sunday,
Alcaraz smiled and replied: “Even better. You will see. ...
Surprise, surprise.”
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