Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner’s first Paris Masters crown moves the Italian past Carlos Alcaraz and back into the ATP’s top spot.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner powered past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) to capture his maiden Paris Masters title on Sunday, a triumph that catapulted the 24-year-old back to the summit of the men’s rankings ahead of the ATP Finals.

The second seed knew only victory would suffice to leapfrog rival Carlos Alcaraz atop the standings, and he delivered in style to become just the fourth player in tournament history to lift the trophy without dropping a set.

For Auger-Aliassime, the stakes were equally high but the outcome crushingly different. The Canadian ninth seed needed the title to secure his spot at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, but instead saw his hopes dashed in a high-quality final.

Sinner’s Paris conquest marked his first Masters crown of the year and fifth title of 2025, extending his remarkable indoor hardcourt winning streak to 26 matches.

‘Intense final’

“It’s huge, honestly. It was such an intense final here, and we both knew what’s on the line. Also him, he’s in a very tough and difficult spot, but from my side, I’m extremely happy,” Sinner said in an on-court interview.

“The past couple of months have been amazing. We’ve tried to work on things, trying to improve as a player. Seeing these kind of results makes me incredibly happy.

“Another title this year. It has been an amazing year, no matter what comes now in Turin. I’m extremely happy.”

Sinner made his intentions clear from the opening game, breaking Auger-Aliassime’s serve before consolidating the break as he controlled rallies while the Canadian leaked unforced errors.

Despite the majority of the crowd rallying behind the underdog, Auger-Aliassime struggled to match Sinner’s relentless power and precision.

Sinner untouchable on serve

Sinner proved untouchable on the serve, mixing deep groundstrokes with drop shots and half-volleys to bamboozle his opponent.

The Italian’s dominance was complete in the opening set, when Auger-Aliassime failed to earn a single break point while Sinner dropped just three points on serve, sealing the set with a flourish by firing a cross-court forehand winner.

The second set offered more resistance, however, as Auger-Aliassime showed his mettle, saving five break points.

But even his resolute defence could not crack Sinner’s serving stranglehold as the set headed to a tiebreak.

Auger-Aliassime held his own in the tiebreak until a crucial error handed Sinner the advantage, and the Italian needed no second invitation to surge into the lead.

Sinner then delivered the knockout blow on match point, forcing Auger-Aliassime wide during the rally before unleashing a searing backhand winner down the line to claim his fifth Masters crown.

Auger-Aliassime is set to play this week in Metz, where he had a first-round bye, in a last attempt to secure the final spot at the ATP Finals the following week.

Britain’s Cameron Norrie described his upset of Carlos Alcaraz as “the biggest win of my career” as he reached the Paris Masters last 16 with a gritty comeback against the world number one.

Norrie, who was beaten in straight sets by the Spaniard in this year’s Wimbledon quarter-finals, won 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the second round of the ATP Masters 1,000 event in the French capital.

“This win is so big for me,” said Norrie, who missed the Olympic Games in Paris and the US Open last year because of a forearm injury.

“I had lost the first round of the qualifiers here last year. Coming back from my injury, I’ve been trying to enjoy my tennis in the second half of the year and I was able to do that.

“To get the biggest win of my career, my first win over a world number one, and probably the most confident player in the world right now, I am pleased with the way I did it.”

Alcaraz won the first set before Norrie responded strongly in the second by breaking early and maintaining his momentum to set up the decider.

The world number 31 then played an incredible backhand pass to break Alcaraz in the final set and saved two break points on his way to victory.

“I actually went for a walk this morning with my coach and we talked through serving for the match and what I needed to tell myself,” said Norrie, who beat Sebastian Baez in straight sets in Monday’s first round.

“I was so, so tight serving for the match yesterday against Baez.

“I told myself I deserved to be in this moment, I want to be here, and I felt quite relaxed.

“It was a nice walk, a very important walk.”

The Briton will next face the winner of the second-round match between wildcards – and cousins – Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech.

Alcaraz, who registered 54 unforced errors on Tuesday, was returning from an ankle injury and playing his first match on the tour since beating Taylor Fritz in the Japan Open final at the end of September.

He now risks losing his number one ranking if rival Jannik Sinner, who will face Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the second, goes on to win the Paris tournament.

“I’m really disappointed about my level,” Alcaraz said after the defeat.

“I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear but even in the first set which I won, I felt I could do a lot more than I actually did.

“I have to give credit to Cam. He played really well, a solid match, and I think that was the key.”

Britain’s Cameron Norrie is “pumped” to face world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Paris Masters after beating Sebastian Baez in straight sets.

The world number 31 beat Argentine Baez, ranked 12 places below him, 6-3 6-4 in a match which featured six breaks of serve.

Norrie won the opening three games before having his serve broken to 15 as Baez pulled it back to 3-3.

However, the 30-year-old regrouped to win the next three games, converting his second set point.

Norrie threatened to throw away a 3-0 lead again in the second set, saving a break point in the sixth game, and later saved four more in the 10th game before closing out the match at the first opportunity.

“I was really tight going to serve for the match. I said I was going to pretend it was 0-30 and then it was 0-30 and 0-40,” Norrie told Sky Sports.

“It was about getting the job done and it was nice to face some adversity. It was not a typical match. He fought well.”

Norrie will meet Alcaraz, who exited last year’s tournament in the third round, on Tuesday, with the Spaniard playing his first match on tour since beating Taylor Fritz in the Japan Open final at the end of September.

Alcaraz has won five of their seven meetings, most recently beating Norrie in straight sets in this year’s Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Norrie’s compatriot Jacob Fearnley is in first-round action later on Monday against 12th seed Andrey Rublev.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz says players are misunderstood when they want to play in exhibition tournaments alongside the demanding tennis calendar.

Alcaraz, 22, was among those critical of the workload in Asia, where some players struggled physically, with the Spaniard saying he would consider skipping mandatory events to prioritise his health.

He is top seed at this week’s lucrative Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, a six-man tournament from 15 to 18 October that also includes Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

There is a reported $4.5m (£3.4m) in prize money on offer at the exhibition, with some players also likely to have been paid seven-figure sums to appear.

Reports say the winner could take home up to $6m (£4.5m).

But Alcaraz feels that shorter-format events such as the Six Kings Slam are less gruelling than tour competitions, and therefore make fewer demands on the players.

He said: “A lot of players are talking about the calendar, how tight it is with a lot of tournaments, tournaments of two weeks, and then making excuses with exhibitions.

“It’s a different format, different situation playing exhibitions than the official tournaments, 15, 16 days in row, having such a high focus and demanding physically.

“We’re just having fun for one or two days and playing some tennis, and that’s great, and why we choose the exhibitions.

“I understand [the criticism], but sometimes people don’t understand us, our opinions. It’s not really demanding mentally [compared with] when we’re having such long events like two weeks or two and a half weeks.”

Alcaraz won his eighth title of the season in Tokyo last month despite an ankle injury sustained in his opening match that prompted him to pull out of the Shanghai Masters.

He will play in Saudi Arabia despite the injury not being fully healed. “Everything’s OK,” said Alcaraz. “I’ve been recovering the ankle as much as I can.

“I don’t feel 100% – the doubts are there when I’m moving on court, but it improved a lot and I’m going to compete and perform well in the Six Kings Slam.”

Alcaraz has a bye to the semi-finals of the event, which will be broadcast on Netflix, where he will face Fritz on Thursday after the American gained a 6-3 6-4 victory over Zverev.

In Wednesday’s other quarter-final, world number two Sinner beat Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3 and will face Djokovic in the semi-finals.

American Taylor Fritz stunned world number one Carlos Alcaraz as Team World turned things around to take a 9-3 lead on day two of the Laver Cup.

Team Europe had led 3-1 after Friday but Team World won all four matches in San Francisco on Saturday to turn the tide before Sunday’s final day.

Fritz, who had not beaten Spaniard Alcaraz in three previous meetings, sealed a comprehensive 6-3 6-2 victory in the final singles match of the day.

The world number five said it was one of the best moments of his career so far.

“I think I take almost more pride in this one because I feel like, start to finish, I won it, I earned it,” he said.

“A lot of the decisive points in the match weren’t so much him giving them to me – I felt like I made it happen in those moments. Just start to finish, I played an amazing match. I’m hoping this can be a sign of things to come.”

Alcaraz returns to number one spot after winning his sixth Grand Slam title and second of 2025 in four sets in New York.

Carlos Alcaraz pulled off a calm yet ferocious performance to end his great rival Jannik Sinner’s reign and win the US Open men’s singles final in four sets in front of a sellout crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

Alcaraz claimed his second US Open title with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win on Sunday as United States President Donald Trump watched along with his entourage. Trump’s presence delayed the match start time due to the extensive security checks for the spectators.

In a perfect echo of the triumph that first propelled him to the number one spot in 2022, Alcaraz’s second New York title lifted him back to the top of the world rankings, as the 22-year-old Spaniard displaced Sinner and took his Grand Slam trophy haul to six.

“I want to start with Jannik. It’s unbelievable what you’re doing the whole season; great level during every tournament that you’re playing… I’m seeing you more than my family,” said Alcaraz, who took his win-loss record with Sinner to 10-5.

“It’s great to share a court, to share the locker room, to share everything with you.

“I’m just really proud about the people I have around. Every achievement I’m having is because of you, thanks to you… This one is yours.”

As grey clouds hovered over the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, Alcaraz continued to deliver the sunshine tennis that has lit up Flushing Meadows over the last two weeks, consolidating an early break by faking a drop to hit a winner that wrong-footed Sinner.

He beamed after pulling off an outrageous half-volley at the net, and wrapped up the opening set shortly afterwards, finishing it off with a big serve, which Sinner crashed into the net as the Italian’s metronomic precision briefly deserted him. But Sinner hit back to take the next set after saving an early break point.

It was the third straight Grand Slam final between the duo this year.

After missing a few steps to drop his first set of the championship, Alcaraz blasted his way to a 5-0 advantage in the third set before Sinner got on the board, and the Spaniard closed it out with a monster serve.

Sinner conjured up two breathtaking volleys in the opening game of the fourth set to roaring applause and held serve after being pushed to the limit again. But he cracked under the pressure and handed the crucial break to Alcaraz in the fifth game.

Resembling a flamingo in full flight in his bright pink vest, Alcaraz soared ahead to secure the victory on his third match point, and celebrated by raising his fists before a warm embrace with his rival and wild celebrations with his team.

A dejected Sinner was left to contemplate another Grand Slam final loss to Alcaraz this season after coming up short in their French Open epic in June. Although, he beat the Spaniard to take his Wimbledon crown the following month.

“A lot of big stages and matches we played this season,” Sinner said, after quickly composing himself.

“I tried my best today. I couldn’t do more.”

NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over Jannik Sinner with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory Sunday in the U.S. Open final — the third Grand Slam tournament in a row where these elite, young rivals met to decide the champion — for his second trophy at Flushing Meadows and sixth overall at a major.

President Trump sat in a sponsor’s suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium and received a mix of cheers and boos when he offered a wave beforehand and again when he was shown on videoboards after the first set. The match’s start was delayed by about a half-hour because thousands of fans were still outside in line, trying to get through the extra security measures in place because of the presence of a sitting president at the tournament for the first time since Bill Clinton in 2000.

Jannik Sinner reacts while losing to Carlos Alcaraz during the U.S. Open men’s singles final Sunday in New York.

(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

Perhaps the extra wait got to the No. 1-seeded Sinner, who was the defending champion. Right from the beginning, under a closed roof because of rain earlier in the day, No. 2 Alcaraz was better as he sought to reverse the result from when they met at the All England Club less than two months ago.

He did just that, putting his leads over Sinner at 10-5 in their head-to-head series, 6-4 in major trophies, and 2-1 in U.S. Open championships. Plus, this win allowed Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, to take away the No. 1 ranking from Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy.

These two guys are so, so much better than the rest of men’s tennis at the moment.

They have combined to collect the past eight Slam trophies in a row, and 10 of 13. Novak Djokovic, whom Alcaraz eliminated in Friday’s semifinals, took the other three in that span.

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, celebrates after defeating Jannik Sinner, of Italy, in the U.S. Open men’s singles final Sunday in New York.

(Kirsty Wigglesworth / Associated Press)

Sunday’s showdown represented the first time in tennis history that the same two men played each other in three consecutive Slam finals within a single season.

This hard-court matchup followed Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner after erasing a trio of match points on the French Open’s red clay in June, and Sinner’s victory over Alcaraz on Wimbledon’s grass in July.

Both Sinner, who had won his past 27 hard-court matches at majors, and Alcaraz offered glimpses of why they are so good, although it was rare that both were at their best simultaneously on this occasion.

Alcaraz was elite in the first, third and fourth sets, Sinner’s top efforts arrived in the second.

In sum, Alcaraz was better and for longer, ending up with twice as many winners, 42-21.

Since the start of the 2024 U.S. Open, Sinner had won 33 of 34 matches at the majors and Sunday was his fifth straight final at those events. The loss? To Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.

Indeed, over the last two seasons, Sinner is now 1-7 against Alcaraz and 109-4 against everyone else.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, has won 37 of 38 contests since May. The loss? To Sinner at the All England Club — also Alcaraz’s lone defeat in a Slam final.

In 2025, Alcaraz now has more tournament titles (a tour-leading seven) than losses (his record is 61-6, also the best in men’s tennis).

During his defeat in Wimbledon’s final, Alcaraz was caught by a camera telling his team about Sinner in Spanish: “From the back of the court, he’s much better than me.”

So perhaps that’s why Alcaraz was aggressive Sunday with his sledgehammer of a forehand — and on-target too. Whenever even the smallest opening presented itself, Alcaraz tried to barge on through with that shot, going big early in points, which worked, either for an outright winner or forcing mistakes from Sinner.

Sinner had dropped a total of just one service game in his three matches leading into the final, but he did deal with an abdominal muscle issue in his semifinal Friday. Sinner and his coach said it was nothing serious, which might be right, but Alcaraz broke right away Sunday and five times in all.

To counteract the forehand effectiveness, Sinner made a tactical switch, going increasingly after Alcaraz’s backhand when possible. That both limited Alcaraz’s opportunities to strike a point-ending forehand and drew additional mistakes off the other wing.

Paid off for Sinner. Briefly.

In the first set and third, Alcaraz’s ratios were 11 winners to two unforced errors. Truly remarkable. In the second, those numbers swung the other way: five winners, 11 unforced errors.

An hour and 20 minutes in, it was a set apiece, after Alcaraz ceded one for the first time all tournament, allowing Neale Fraser to retain his distinction as the most recent man to win every set he played at the event — all the way back in 1960.

As Sinner worked his way into things, he would celebrate just about every point he gathered by looking at the corner of the stands where his two coaches and others, including Olympic champion ski racer Lindsey Vonn, were seated and pumped his right fist.

Ah, but it was Alcaraz who seemed to have more of the ticket-buyers on his side.

Fendrich writes for the Associated Press.

Carlos Alcaraz claimed the latest chapter of his compelling rivalry against Jannik Sinner with a four-set victory to regain the US Open title.

Spain’s Alcaraz started strongly, weathered a second-set fightback from Italy’s Sinner, before powering to a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory in New York.

The men’s final was delayed by half an hour because of extra security measures put in place due to US President Donald Trump’s presence.

Once under way, the pair produced another engaging contest – albeit short of the drama and quality of their French Open and Wimbledon finals earlier this year.

Reigning French Open champion Alcaraz’s superior serving – an area which let him down against Sinner at the All England Club – ensured he reclaimed the US Open title that he first won in 2022.

The 22-year-old has now won six Grand Slam titles – making him the second youngest man behind Bjorn Borg to reach this tally.

Alcaraz’s victory ensures an even split between him and Sinner – who won the Australian Open as well as Wimbledon – at the four majors in 2025.

Alcaraz has also wrestled the world number one ranking away from Sinner, who held the position for 65 weeks.

After Sinner saved two championship points, Alcaraz reset to take his third opportunity with an ace out wide – celebrating with a now trademark golf swing.

THE US Open will come to a close today at Flushing Meadows as the two biggest stars in tennis face off yet again!

Rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will go head-to-head in their third Grand Slam final of the year with US president Donald Trump attending the showpiece match.

Sinner beat Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final earlier this summer to take the SW19 crown for the first time.

Sinner is looking to defend his US Open title and win the 2025 trilogy between the two titans of men’s singles.

Follow our live blog below…

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz took down 24-times major winner Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6(4) 6-2 with clinical precision to reach the US Open final, prevailing in a highly anticipated showdown that packed the house at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The match on Friday was billed as the hottest ticket in New York and lived up to the hype, with a scoreline that belied its intensity, as the 2022 champion Alcaraz soaked in deafening cheers on match point.

Djokovic had won their two most recent meetings, including in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open earlier this year, but the 38-year-old showed wear and tear against the Spaniard 16 years his junior.

“It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year in general,” said Alcaraz, who won his fifth major title at Roland Garros this year and finished runner-up at Wimbledon.

“Just not having up-and-downs in the match. Just the level that I start the match, just wanted to keep that level really high during the whole match.”

Djokovic dropped his serve when he sent a shot past the baseline in the opening game and was unable to set up a single break point chance in the first set, which Alcaraz closed out with an unreturnable serve.

Urged on by the celebrity-packed stands, the seventh seed got in the fight in the second set, sending over a superb backhand to convert on a break point in the second game.

But Alcaraz had not dropped a set so far in New York and was not about to start as he put his foot on the gas, setting up a break point after surviving a 16-shot rally with one of his fine forehand winners and converting from the baseline.

Down 0-2 in the tiebreak, Djokovic outlasted his opponent in a cheeky exchange at the net and paused to take in the roars of the crowd, a reminder of the Serb’s perennial appeal two decades after his Flushing Meadows main draw debut.

But the Spaniard kept his nerve, closing out the tiebreak with two more unreturnable serves before Djokovic gifted him a break point with a double fault in the fourth game of the third set.

“It’s not easy playing against him, to be honest,” said Alcaraz, who hit twice as many winners as his opponent.

“I’m thinking about the legend, what he has achieved in his career. It’s difficult not to think about it. So that makes facing him even tougher.”

The writing was on the wall for Djokovic as he hit another double fault on the penultimate point of the match, and he leaned on the net as he congratulated his opponent with a grin after handing over the contest with a wide forehand.

“Of course, 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,” said Djokovic, who picked up the last of his four US Open titles in 2023.

“It comes with time and with age.”

Sinner overcomes spirited Auger-Aliassime challenge

Defending champion Jannik Sinner battled past 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the second semifinal to set up another blockbuster title clash with Alcaraz and renew one of the sport’s most compelling rivalries.

Shortly after Alcaraz wove his magic to dismantle Djokovic, the usually machine-like Sinner misfired at times but prevailed to ensure a third successive major final with the Spaniard.

The Italian world No 1 faced brief resistance in the fifth game of the contest but dialled up the intensity to hold and wrapped up the lopsided opening set when Auger-Aliassime sent a backhand wide.

Auger-Aliassime settled his nerves in his second New York semifinal, breaking for a 5-3 lead in the next set en route to levelling the match, before going toe-to-toe with Sinner in the third set, only for the momentum to shift again.

Sinner, who took a medical timeout for an unspecified issue earlier, found his groove to close out the third set and staved off a strong challenge from his reinvigorated Canadian opponent with some clutch serving in the next set to advance.

Sinner will face off against Alcaraz for the third successive Grand Slam final on Sunday. Sinner captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles this season but lost to Alcaraz in an epic five-set battle in the French Open final.

“Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again,” said Sinner. “I feel like our rivalry started here (in 2022) playing an amazing match. We are two different players now, with different confidence too.”

World number two Carlos Alcaraz made his youth count as he beat 38-year-old Novak Djokovic to reach another US Open final.

Spain’s Alcaraz, 22, was tested by 24-time major champion Djokovic but had enough quality and energy to win 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in Friday’s first men’s semi-final.

The margins were fine in the first two sets, with Alcaraz rarely near his free-flowing best, but the gap widened as Serbia’s Djokovic faded physically early in the third.

Two weary double faults from Djokovic hurried his opponent into a 3-1 lead and another teed up a first match point for Alcaraz – on which Djokovic batted a volley wide.

Seventh seed Djokovic hung over the net as he waited to congratulate Alcaraz, before waving to all corners of Arthur Ashe Stadium as he departed.

Alcaraz, the 2022 champion, will play either Italian top seed Jannik Sinner and Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s final.

“Being in the final again feels amazing – it means a lot to me,” said Alcaraz.

“It wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me but I kept a cool head from the beginning and the last point.”

Novak Djokovic set up a titanic US Open semifinal with Carlos Alcaraz as the Serbian star kept his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam firmly on track.

The 38-year-old Djokovic advanced to a record-equalling 14th US Open semifinal on Tuesday with a four-set win over fourth seed Taylor Fritz, eliminating the last American in the men’s draw.

Djokovic’s 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory saw him improve to 16-0 against US opponents in New York, as he reached the last four of a major for the 53rd time.

“It was an incredibly close match. It was really anybody’s match,” said Djokovic, who also drew level with Jimmy Connors for the most US Open semifinal appearances.

“I thought I was really lucky to save some crucial break points in the second set. I think for most of the second and third sets, he was the better player.”

Fritz saved two match points in a tight fourth set, before sealing his own fate with a double fault.

“That last game was nerve-racking. A tough one for Taylor to finish with a double fault; he didn’t deserve that,” said Djokovic.

Djokovic and Alcaraz will square off for the first time since the Australian Open quarterfinals in January, when the Serbian won in four sets to take a 5-3 edge in their rivalry.

Friday’s encounter is their fifth at a Grand Slam, but first at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic has won all three past meetings on hard courts.

Djokovic spars with crowd, wears down Fritz

Djokovic broke Fritz straight away inside a raucous Arthur Ashe Stadium as he zipped into a 3-0 lead in the first set and brought up set point on his opponent’s serve in the eighth game.

Fritz resisted and piled on the pressure in the following game, earning five break points.

He could not convert, though, as Djokovic relied on his trademark grit to foil Fritz, including in an astonishing 25-stroke rally.

Djokovic eventually held to clinch the set, but Fritz carved out more chances in the fourth and sixth games of the second set.

His failure to capitalise allowed Djokovic to again seize the initiative by breaking for a 4-3 advantage. Fritz broke back with Djokovic serving for a two-set lead, only to tamely surrender his own serve with a double-fault in the ensuing game.

Djokovic made no mistake this time to pouch the set and mockingly blew kisses to the crowd as he walked to his chair.

But he began to get riled up with the pro-Fritz support willing their man back into the contest, prompting Djokovic to plead with the umpire to do more to quieten the crowd.

His focus dipped fleetingly, and Fritz broke to nudge 3-1 ahead and force a fourth set. It went on serve until Djokovic brought up two match points with Fritz trying to stay alive.

Fritz scrambled to save both, but Djokovic earned another shot and the American double-faulted to seal his rival’s passage to the last four.

Alcaraz demolishes Lehecka

Earlier on Tuesday, Alcaraz, who has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows in 2025, cruised into the semifinals, demolishing Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Alcaraz had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he fired off 28 winners and never faced a break point, putting on yet another almost pristine performance.

Alcaraz broke in the first game, helped on his way by a pair of Lehecka double faults, and the Spaniard got the crowd going as he triumphed in a thrilling, cat-and-mouse exchange at the net in the 10th game, sending a backhand winner streaking past the Czech.

The 2022 champion kept the momentum going in the second set, converting a break point at the net in the first game, and Lehecka became visibly agitated as he went down another break with a double fault in the seventh game.

Alcaraz smiled in disbelief as he nailed a series of precise shots to set up a break point in the seventh game of the final set, but Lehecka dug in to hold.

Alcaraz let out a triumphant cheer as he prevailed in a 12-shot rally on break point in the ninth game and deployed his golf swing celebration to the delight of fellow Spaniard and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who was in attendance.

“I just played a really – or almost – perfect match,” he said. “I’m just feeling great and hungry to make it.”

The five-time major winner has only been broken once so far in the tournament and could retake the number one world ranking from Italy’s Jannik Sinner, although he is trying not to think about it.

“If I think about the number one spot too much, then I’m going to put pressure on myself, and I don’t want to do that,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the U.S. Open on Monday with a new hairdo.

Actually, he arrived at Flushing Meadows with no hairdo — as in no hair at all, aside from some teeny, tiny specks on his head that come to a widow’s peak.

The world’s No. 2-ranked player was asked about his shocking new look following his 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over Opelka. Alcaraz told reporters that he had simply wanted a haircut before the tournament, but one of his brothers “misunderstood” how to use the clippers.

The resulting mess, he said, left him with no choice but to start over with a clean pate.

“The only way to fix it is just shave it off,” a casual Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz isn’t bothered by the situation. As he reminded the reporters, hair grows back.

“I’m not really into, you know, the hair at all,” Alcaraz said. “So I’m the guy who thinks like, OK, the hair grows, you know? And then [in] a few days it’s gonna be already OK, I guess.”

Alcaraz apparently is not kidding about the speed at which his hair grows. He mentioned it to reporters during the Australian Open, after arriving in toasty Melbourne with shorter locks than usual.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz serves during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open on Jan. 9 in Melbourne.

(Mark Baker / Associated Press)

“I discussed with my barber that when I get a haircut… three days later it’s grown out,” Alcaraz said in Melbourne. “So I have to go more often.”

Alcaraz unintentionally provided a demonstration during the French Open, where he first sported a rather bushy look during his first-round win over Giulio Zeppieri on May 26.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning a point during his first-round French Open match against Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri on May 26 in Paris.

(Thibault Camus / Associated Press)

Two days later, however, Alcaraz returned to the court for his second-round match against Nuno Borges with a ‘do possibly (but probably not) inspired by Moe Howard from the “Three Stooges.” Alcaraz told befuddled reporters after the match that he “had to do something” about his hair and beard, so he flew in his personal barber.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Portugal’s Nuno Borges during their second-round match of the French Open on May 28 in Paris.

(Christophe Ena / Associated Press)

A mere 11 days later, when Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in the final match for his fifth major championship, he was back to looking like this:

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after defeating Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the French Open final June 8 in Paris.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

So if Alcaraz happens to win the U.S. Open championship, like he did in 2022, he might have a lengthy mane while hoisting the trophy at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

In the meantime, though, some people might continue to respond to his haircut the way U.S. player Frances Tiafoe did when asked about it by a reporter following his first-round victory over Yoshihito Nishioka.

“It’s definitely terrible,” Tiafoe said with a laugh. “He’s my guy, though. It’s funny. I looked at him and I was like, ‘I guess you’re aerodynamic’ … I don’t know who told him to do that, but it’s terrible. From a guy who gets haircuts week in, week out and prides myself on good haircuts, it’s horrendous.”

Alcaraz also laughed when he was asked about Tiafoe’s comment.

“I know he’s lying,” Alcaraz said. “He likes the haircut. He likes it, he told me.”

Others might react like Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who expressed his full support for the radical change atop Alcaraz’s head while meeting with the Spaniard earlier Monday.

“I like it,” McIlroy told him. “It’s good. It’s a good look.”

Overall, Alcaraz told reporters, reactions have been mixed — and he really doesn’t care either way.

“Some people like it. Some people don’t like it,” he said. “To be honest, I’m just laughing about the reaction of the people. It is what it is. So I can’t do anything else right now, so I’m just laughing about everything that they are talking about my haircut.”

CARLOS ALCARAZ has unveiled a radical new look for the US Open – he has shaved off all his HAIR.

The five-time Grand Slam champion rocked up at Flushing Meadows on day two.

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And fans were left shocked when they spotted him on the practice courts.

The Spaniard, 22, normally has thick, black hair and certainly did when he played in the Mixed Doubles Championship.

That was last Tuesday with Emma Raducanu on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Yet ahead of his first-round encounter with lanky American Reilly Opelka on Tuesday evening, he turned up with a fresh skinhead.

It was a surprising look that was captured by US Open cameras and footage was posted on their Instagram channel.

The former US Open champion wore a white Nike Total 90 Dri-FIT soccer jersey, which was a sleeveless top.

It is perhaps a wise choice given the heat and humidity of playing in the Big Apple at this time of the year.

Nonetheless, the decision to chop off his locks was a recent one.

That was given that a video was posted on Monday of him attending St Patrick’s cathedral off Fifth Avenue.

The world-renowned tennis player was given a blessing from a Catholic priest – and in the footage, he has a full head of hair.

Alcaraz is one of the biggest sportsmen on the planet and will be hoping for a deep run at the last Slam of the year.

In their last four tournaments together, Alcaraz and world No.1 Jannik Sinner have met in the final.

They battled it out in Rome, Paris, Wimbledon and Cincinnati.

Assuming he has not lost his magical powers like biblical hero Samson did following a hair cut, then there is a great chance Alcaraz and Sinner could meet again in the final on Sunday September 7.

How to watch the 2025 US Open

THE tennis world has descended upon New York City for the fourth and final slam of the year.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows will have the eyes of the sporting universe upon it.

The 2025 US Open takes place from Sunday 24 August to Sunday 7 September.

And there is a standalone mixed-double competition as well as qualifying taking place in the week beforehand.

ESPN is showing every moment live for fans in the United States, and you can sign up below.

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Fans flocked to social media after his new look was revealed.

And they compared him to English soccer legend’s look back in the early 2000s.

“He looks like early 2000s David Beckham,” said one.

Another said: “Thats not him no way.”

A third added: “Who is this person?”

A fourth commented: “Jesus Christ, Carlos knows how to shock his fans on and off the court.”

And one said: “That’s not Carlos!”

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Asked about Carlos Alcaraz’s new haircut, Frances Tiafoe said: “Yeah, it’s horrible. It’s terrible.

“He’s my guy though. It’s funny. I looked at him and I was like: ‘I guess you’re aerodynamic.’

“Juan Carlos ‘Mosquito’ was laughing. He was like: ‘Yeah, he’s faster than he already was.’ I was like: ‘Well, that’s a problem.’

“I don’t know who told him that it’s good. I don’t know who told him to do that, but it’s terrible.

“From a guy who gets haircuts week-in, week-out, and prides myself on good haircuts, it’s horrendous.

“At the end of the day, it’s Carlos, and that’s my guy. But yeah, he needs to get with me. He needs to get with me for sure.”

If any of the four Slams could throw up a different winner, then recent history suggests it could happen at the US Open.

The slightly slower hard courts, humid conditions and its slot as the final major in a busy season have been contributing factors to six different champions in the past seven years.

Novak Djokovic is the only man to win it twice during that period. Even though he is now 38, the Serb remains the leading contender to stop defending champion Sinner and 2022 winner Alcaraz.

German third seed Alexander Zverev has not yet won a Grand Slam title despite his his pedigree, appearing to lack belief against the very best at the business end of majors.

In a bid to get over the line, the three-time major finalist recently enlisted the help of Toni Nadal – who coached his nephew Rafael to 16 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

The trip to Nadal’s academy in Majorca came after Zverev’s first-round exit at Wimbledon, where he opened up about receiving psychological help to get “out of the hole” he was in.

“Of course to beat Alcaraz and Sinner is not easy but he has more chances to beat these two guys more than most others,” Nadal told BBC Sport.

“This is what I explained to him.

An excitable atmosphere continued as the fans – who paid between $25 (£18.50) and $145 (£107) for what British doubles player Jamie Murray described as a “glorified exhibition” – danced to tunes played by an on-court DJ and acted up when appearing on the big screen.

Both sets of players smiled and laughed throughout, further illustrating how the stars are using the event to tune up for their greater priority of the singles.

For some, it underlined the view of the doubles specialists sidelined that a Grand Slam tournament had lost value.

Pegula, who has been ranked world number one in the women’s doubles, and Draper were also a scratch pairing but had too much quality against a pair who are less experienced in tour-level doubles.

For Draper, it was third time lucky – having seen previous planned partners Zheng Qinwen and Paula Badosa withdraw through injury.

Pegula and Draper’s mutual will-to-win was more evident than some of the pairings, looking focused as they later beat Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev to reach the last four.

The Russian pair earlier knocked out 24-time major singles champion Novak Djokovic and his fellow Serb Olga Danilovic in the first round,

There was the loss of another star name before Tuesday’s play started, when men’s world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew through illness.

The defending champ pulls out with illness, raising questions about his preparations before next Sunday’s US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open after top seed Jannik Sinner retired as he was feeling unwell, raising concerns about the Italian’s fitness just days before he is due to begin the defence of his US Open title in New York.

The Spanish second seed snapped the world number one’s 26-match winning streak on hardcourts when his ailing rival signalled he could no longer continue while trailing 5-0 in the first set of the final on Monday.

“This is not the way that I want to win trophies, I just have to say sorry, I can understand how you must feel now,” Alcaraz told Sinner during the presentation ceremony after capturing his third Masters 1000 crown of the season following his success in Monte Carlo and Rome.

“As I said many times, you are a true champion and I am sure from these situations, you are going to come back even stronger, as you always do. That’s what true champions do.”

Sinner had been bidding to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2015 to win back-to-back Cincinnati titles, but he looked uncomfortable early on in the sweltering conditions.

He called it quits after 23 minutes of play.

“I’m super, super sorry to disappoint you,” Sinner told the crowd. “Yesterday I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night, but it came up worse.

“I tried to come out, tried to make it at least a small match, but I couldn’t handle more, so I’m very sorry.”

US Open concerns for Sinner

It was also unclear whether Sinner would be fit enough to partner with Katerina Siniakova in the revamped mixed doubles event at Flushing Meadows, which is due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Singles action at the hardcourt major begins on Sunday.

Monday’s clash had been expected to be a dress rehearsal before a potential final showdown between the world’s two best players in New York, with the duo having faced off in the title match at the last two majors.

Alcaraz came from two sets down and saved three championship points to triumph at Roland Garros, while Sinner emerged victorious at Wimbledon.

Monday’s result extended Alcaraz’s head-to-head record over Sinner to 9–5, including a 6–2 edge on hardcourts.