Sinner beats Auger-Aliassime at the
U.S. Open and faces Alcaraz for a 3rd Grand Slam final in a row
[September 06, 2025]
By HOWARD FENDRICH
NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner took a medical timeout because of a
bothersome abdominal muscle during a mid-match lull before retaking
control for a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime
in the U.S. Open semifinals Friday night, moving closer to a second
consecutive title at Flushing Meadows.
No one has repeated as the men's champion in New York since Roger
Federer took five trophies in a row from 2004-08.
The No. 1-seeded Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy, will face No. 2
Carlos Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, on Sunday, making them the
first men in tennis history to meet in three straight Grand Slam
finals within a single season, according to the ATP.
“It’s great for the sport having rivalries, having hopefully great
matches in front of us,” Sinner said. “I’m someone who loves these
challenges, and I love to put myself in these positions and to see
how it goes.”
The top spot in the rankings will be on the line, too, in front of
an Arthur Ashe Stadium audience that is expected to include
President Donald Trump.
“It's a very special day,” Sinner said about Sunday's matchup. “It's
a very amazing final again.”
Alcaraz got there by defeating 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic
6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 earlier Friday.
Sinner advanced to his fifth consecutive title match at a Slam. He
beat Taylor Fritz at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago and Alexander
Zverev at the Australian Open in January, then lost to Alcaraz at
the French Open in June, before beating his rival at Wimbledon in
July.
“Amazing season,” Sinner said.
Against Auger-Aliassime, Sinner was terrific in the opening set,
merely so-so in the next, when the abdominal issue limited his
ability to serve his best, according to one of his coaches, Simone
Vagnozzi.
“Sometimes you're tired and you can't let your opponent see that. At
a certain point in the second set, his level went down. And
naturally, if your opponent sees that, he can take energy from
that," Vagnozzi said. "So you have to be good at masking your
emotions and masking the physical issues Jannik had today.”
Sinner's run of 38 service holds that dated to the third round ended
when Auger-Aliassime went up 5-3 in the second by driving a 99 mph
inside-out forehand winner for a break that he marked with a loud
yell.
[to top of second column] |
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Felix Auger-Aliassime, of
Canada, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis
championships, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki
Iwamura)
That forehand was key for the 25-year-old Canadian
who was trying to reach his first major final and already had
eliminated No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 8 Alex de Minaur and No. 15
Andrey Rublev.
When he closed that set with a 117 mph ace, Auger-Aliassime had
grabbed 12 of 13 points and the match was all even.
“I was going toe-to-toe, at times,” the 25th-seeded Auger-Aliassime
said.
After that set, Sinner left the court for medical attention that
Vagnozzi said afterward had made a difference.
Indeed, Sinner looked just fine when he returned from the locker
room. So did his play.
“After the treatment, was feeling much, much better,” Sinner said.
“At some point I didn’t feel anything anymore. I was serving back to
normal pace, so it was all good. Nothing to worry about.”
After managing only three winners, but six unforced errors, in the
second set, Sinner was back to being Sinner in the third: 11
winners, four unforced errors. He broke thanks to a stumbling,
awkward return of a 124 mph serve that somehow landed in, drawing a
netted response from Auger-Aliassime.
More of that came in the fourth, when, after saving five break
points early — he saved 9 of 10 throughout the evening — Sinner
broke to move ahead 3-2. Just 25 minutes later, it was over, and
Sinner had earned his 33rd win in his past 34 Grand Slam matches,
which includes an unbeaten run of 27 on hard courts.
“He’s been dominating on hard courts,” Auger-Aliassime said, “but, I
mean, kind of everywhere.”
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