Sinner

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.

There’s a good chance that a horror movie will be nominated for the 2025 best picture Oscar.

And if Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” or Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” make the cut, it will be the first time in the Academy Awards’ 97-year history that a fright film has been nominated in consecutive contests.

It’s long overdue. And if you believe part of Oscars’ purpose is to promote the industry and celebrate its achievements, there’s no better time for the academy to get over its traditional disdain for cinematic monstrosities.

As most other sectors of Hollywood’s film business look precarious — adult dramas, the traditional awards season ponies, are dropping like dead horses at the box office, while attendance for the once-mighty superhero supergenre continues to disappoint — horror has hit its highest annual gross of all time, $1.2 billion, with a good two months left to go.

“Sinners,” released in April, remains in fifth place on the domestic box office chart with $279 million. Its fellow Warner Bros. offerings “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” “Weapons” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” occupied slots 12 through 14 as of mid-October.

Mia Goth as Elizabeth and Oscar Isaac in “Frankenstein.”

(Ken Woroner / Netflix)

“Horror has been, historically, the Rodney Dangerfield of genres,” notes Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for global media measurement firm Comscore. “It can’t get no respect.

“But horror is very important to the industry on so many levels now,” he continues. “We have four horror movies in the top 15 this year, all of those generating over $100 million in domestic box office. And to make a significant scary horror movie, you don’t have to break the bank. Look at [‘Weapons’ filmmaker Zach Cregger’s 2022 breakout feature] ‘Barbarian’; half of that was shot in a basement.” Similarly, compare “Sinners’” $90 million price tag to “Black Panther’s” $200 million.

Horror’s popularity has gone in cycles since Universal’s run of classic monster movies in the early 1930s. But profitability has been a reliable bet more often than not — and Karloff’s “Frankenstein” and Lugosi’s “Dracula” still resonate through pop culture while most best picture winners of the same era are forgotten.

Still, it wasn’t until 1974 that “The Exorcist” received the first best picture nomination for a horror film, and ahead of the success of “The Substance” at the 2025 Oscar nominations the genre’s fortunes had only marginally improved. Indeed, many of the titles usually cited as a mark of horror’s growing foothold in awards season — “Jaws,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Black Swan,” 1991 winner “The Silence of the Lambs” — are arguably better characterized as something else entirely, or at best as hybrids. (To wit, the sole monster movie that’s won best picture, Del Toro’s 2017 “The Shape of Water,” is primarily considered a romantic fantasy.)

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Fright films’ reputation for delivering cheap thrills to undiscerning audiences was often deserved, but there were always stellar horror films that the academy overlooked. And more recently, films such as “The Substance,” “Sinners” and Jordan Peele’s 2017 nominee “Get Out” have pierced ingrained voter prejudices against the genre by adding social commentary and undeniable aesthetic quality without compromising gory fundamentals.

“The horror genre really does seem to be attracting great directors who are immersed in it, have a real auteur point-of-view and make interesting movies that have horror elements but explore other themes as well,” notes The Envelope’s awards columnist, Glenn Whipp. “‘Sinners’ is Ryan Coogler’s vampire movie, but it’s also about the Jim Crow South and American blues music. How can you resist that if you’re an academy voter?”

And with horror packing in filmgoers like no other genre, high-profile nominations could help the Academy Awards broadcast attract the bigger ratings its stakeholders have been desperately seeking at least since “The Dark Knight” failed to make the best picture cut in 2008.

Austin Abrams in “Weapons.”

(Warner Bros. Pictures)

“That was the whole reason we went to 10 potential nominees,” Dergarabedian recalls. “We wanted to have more blockbuster representation at the Oscars. This may be the perfect storm. If I were an academy voter, I would vote for ‘Sinners’ and ‘Weapons.’ I don’t think that’s an overstatement, given the films that have come out this year.”

Even beyond this “perfect storm,” though, Whipp sees a sea change afoot.

“Everything’s an Oscar movie now if it’s well made,” he says. “Studios aren’t really making traditional, grown-up dramas and the academy can only nominate what’s in front of them. Horror is being produced at a rate that is greater than it used to be, and at least two of these Warner movies really landed with audiences and critics. The genre is attracting some of our top filmmakers right now, and that’s something that will trickle down to the Oscars.”

“This is not a blip,” Dergarabedian concludes. “It’s a trend that feels like it’s happened overnight but it’s been a long time coming. Back in 2017 we had our first $1-billion-plus horror movie box office. If they stop making good horror movies it might be a blip, but I think Hollywood should take this and bloody run with it.”

The 28-year-old German recorded his 300th victory on hard courts with a comfortable victory over Musetti.

He played the key points well and made no mistake when serving out for the match after breaking the Italian fourth seed in the 11th game of the second set.

Since losing to Sinner at the Australian Open, Zverev has gone on to reach just two more finals, winning on clay in Munich in April and losing on the grass in Stuttgart in June.

That is in stark contrast to Sinner’s record, with the Italian world number two becoming the first man since Novak Djokovic in 2015-16 to appear in eight finals in successive seasons.

Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 20 matches and took his unbeaten record to 12 wins against Australian third seed De Minaur as he claimed a fourth consecutive straight-set victory at the ATP 500 tournament.

He was broken twice – once in each set – but battled his way through what he described as a “physical” encounter.

“I am happy how I handled it,” said the 2023 Vienna Open champion, who is aiming to secure a fourth title of the season after wins at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and China Open.

“I was a break up in the second and he broke me back. I tried to stay strong mentally so I am very happy about today’s performance and obviously to be in another final.”

Elsewhere, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca reached the first ATP 500 final of his career with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 victory over unseeded Spanish player Jaume Munar at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

He will play another Spaniard – Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – in the final after the eighth seed’s opponent Frenchman Ugo Humbert retired while trailing 7-6 (7-4) 3-1 in their semi-final.

Sinner rebounds from his recent US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz with a third title of the season in Beijing.

Jannik Sinner has won the 21st title of his career by thrashing American teenager Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2 in the China Open final.

The Italian lifted the trophy for the second time on Beijing’s hard courts on Wednesday, having done so on his tournament debut in 2023, and is eyeing a return to world number one.

The 24-year-old’s only loss on Beijing’s centre Diamond Court has been to great rival and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s final in three gripping sets.

“A very, very special place for me,” said the victorious Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion and top seed this week.

Alcaraz was not defending his title in the Chinese capital and on Tuesday won the Japan Open in Tokyo.

Sinner broke immediately in the first set on the way to outclassing the 19-year-old Tien, who was in his first ATP final.

“Congrats to Jannik on a great week, another title, an honour to share the court with you today,” he told the world number two afterwards.

The world number 52 got a rare chance to break in the second game of the second set but Sinner quickly retook control, ending a one-sided match with 10 aces over the 1h, 12min final.

Sinner eyes the number 1 ranking

Tien would have been Beijing’s lowest-ranked champion in tournament history.

At 19 years and nine months old, Tien would also have been the second-youngest American Tour champion since Andy Roddick in 2002.

As it was, he was never really in it, despite some flashes of his rich potential.

“You are showing throughout the whole season what a talent you are,” Sinner said in the aftermath.

Sinner’s emphatic win was his third title this season, after victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Sinner may now have a chance to snatch back the top ranking before the season ends after Alcaraz pulled out of the Shanghai Masters injured on Tuesday.

The Spaniard took the world number one ranking from Sinner when he defeated the Italian in the US Open final on September 7.

Sinner will be the top seed in Shanghai, which began this week.

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.”

Top-seed Jannik Sinner cruised through the semifinals, losing only seven games to Italian compatriot Lorenzo Musetti.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner continued his ruthless run at the US Open by beating 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-1 6-4 6-2 on Wednesday in the first all-Italian men’s Grand Slam quarterfinal.

The world number one, who also holds the Australian Open trophy, extended his hardcourt winning streak to 26 matches and will take on Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinal on Friday.

“It was a good performance, I was very solid, I started well … It’s nearly midnight, so thank you all for staying,” Sinner told the crowd.

“Obviously, we know each other well,” he said of Musetti.

“We’re from the same country, there are so many Italians in the draw. Many Italians here so it’s nice to play here. Playing Davis Cup together and stuff but you have to take the friendship away for the match. When we shake hands, everything is fine.

“It’s amazing, I’m sure that back home some Italians are not sleeping. It’s a special country and we have amazing support.”

Sinner’s thunderous hitting from the word go helped him take a 5-0 lead, and while the loudest applause of the evening came when Musetti got on the board, that was the only joy he had in the opening set.

Musetti briefly threatened to break early in the second, but Sinner staved off his challenge to double his advantage, before easing through the next set and finishing it with a clean hold.

“Every player in the semifinals of a Grand Slam is playing amazing tennis,” Sinner added.

“It’s a very special tournament. The last Grand Slam of the year. There’s no better place to play a night match here, on the biggest stadium we have, with an amazing crowd.

“It means a lot to me.”

Jannik Sinner continued his US Open title defence in dominant fashion as he swept past fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti to reach the semi-finals in New York.

Labelled an “artificial intelligence” player by Alexander Bublik in the last round, Sinner’s scintillating form carried on as he won 6-1 6-4 6-2.

Musetti, ranked 10th, was unable to convert any of his seven break points, while he hit just 12 winners to his compatriot’s 28 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“We know each other very well. We’re from the same country, there’s so many Italian players in the draw, so it’s nice to play here,” Sinner said.

“Obviously playing Davis Cup together and stuff like this you have to take the friendship away, but when you shake hands everything is fine.”

In a ruthless first set, Sinner rattled through the first five games and conceded just five points before Musetti eventually held serve to get himself on the board for 5-1.

Sinner closed out the opener after just 27 minutes, but his momentum slowed in the second set as Musetti stepped up his level.

But the top seed managed to grab the decisive break at 4-4 and served it out comfortably before breaking twice in the third to secure the win just before midnight at Flushing Meadows.

“From my point of view it was a great performance, very solid,” Sinner added.

He has now won 26 consecutive matches at hard-court Grand Slam tournaments.

The 24-year-old will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in Friday’s semi-final after the Canadian defeated Alex de Minaur of Australia.

The world tennis No 1 beat Bublik in the round of 16, losing just three games and reversing a shock loss to the Kazakh in June.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner said he enjoyed the vibe of playing under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights after he continued his hardcourt Grand Slam run by hammering 23rd seed Alexander Bublik to make the US Open quarterfinals.

The Italian tennis player came into the match on Labour Day, seeking his 25th straight major match win on his preferred surface, and never looked in danger against a tricky rival, bolting out of the blocks to win 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 on his night session debut this year.

“It’s always special to go on Ashe to play,” Sinner said after the match on Monday.

“Night matches, they’re a bit different because there’s a bit more attention, I feel. It’s a different vibe, also, around the court. It’s very loud. It’s also different to play.

“It was the first time for me this year. It was nice. You have the good and the bad if you play in the evening. It’s very special, and you feel very privileged to step onto court in the night on the biggest court we have.”

A mere 81 minutes after the clash began, Sinner was back in the locker room after gaining revenge for a shock defeat by Bublik on June 20, in the Halle Open final – his only loss to a player not named Carlos Alcaraz this year.

“We know each other well. We’ve had some tough battles this year, so we know each other a bit better,” the top-seeded Sinner said.

“He had a tough match last time [against Tommy Paul], finishing late. He didn’t serve as well as he does. I broke him in every set, and it gave me the confidence to play well.”

A double break helped Sinner build a 4-0 lead before Bublik could even get on the board, and the dominant 24-year-old chased down a drop shot to fire home a deep backhand winner that wrapped up the opening set with another break.

Bublik’s attempts to disrupt Sinner’s rhythm with more drop shots proved futile, but it was his service errors that left him trailing by two sets, before Sinner wheeled away to his eighth straight grand slam quarterfinal.

Up next is a meeting with compatriot Lorenzo Musetti. Sinner said it would be a great occasion for Italian tennis.

“It’s great to see. Italian tennis is in great form. We have so many players and different game styles,” he said.

“Lorenzo is one of the biggest talents we have in our sport. I’m looking forward to this one. From an Italian point of view, it’s great to have for sure one Italian player in the semis.

“I know that there are a lot of Italian players in the crowd. It makes everything special.”

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek have proved they are only human, showing that even the best players in the world have to figure things out on the fly sometimes, as they fought back to claim victories at the US Open.

Wimbledon champion Swiatek embodied the day’s theme of triumph through adversity, clawing her way back from 5-1 down in the opening set against Anna Kalinskaya before grinding out a 7-6(2), 6-4 win in their third-round match on Saturday.

“I’m happy that I came back and kept … figuring out and problem-solving,” Swiatek said. “For sure, it wasn’t an easy match.”

The world number two was far from her sharpest in a scrappy, error-strewn contest – nine breaks and 67 unforced errors by both players combined painted the picture of a match won through sheer bloody-mindedness rather than sublime shot-making.

Yet Swiatek steadied herself at the key moments, saving four set points in the first set and breaking late in the second to notch her 20th major match win of the season and draw level with defending champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka.

“It’s not easy sometimes to find the solutions and to find the exact thing that will help you,” she added.

“You need to have your mind open enough to think about what you can do. Today was a pretty good day, I’d say, in terms of that, because, you know, at 5-1 or something, it’s easy to panic, and I didn’t.”

Her reward is a last-16 meeting with 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

World number one Sinner showed similar resolve, surrendering the opening set to 27th seed Denis Shapovalov before rallying to prevail 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-3.

The victory extended the 24-year-old Italian’s unbeaten run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 24 matches, a streak built not just on talent but on his ability to problem-solve when his best tennis abandons him.

“I’m not a machine, you know. I also struggle sometimes,” said Sinner, who was beaten by the Canadian in the opening round of the 2021 Australian Open in their only previous meeting.

“Every match is so difficult. Every challenge is so difficult.

“There are players who have more qualities or potential, and he’s one of them. I just tried to stay there mentally.”

Zverev loses control – again

Not all the top seeds found the same winning formula.

World number three Alexander Zverev, still chasing his first Grand Slam title, saw his tournament end in frustration as Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down to stun the German 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-4.

Zverev grew increasingly rattled as the match slipped away, slamming his racquet in frustration as Auger-Aliassime’s fearless shot-making turned the tide.

The extended weekend’s most intriguing battle of wills is yet to come, as Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff set up a fourth-round showdown that will dominate the headlines in the second week of the tournament.

Four-time major champion Osaka overcame a mid-match wobble to overpower 15th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, while last year’s champion Gauff dismissed Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6-3, 6-1 in her most convincing performance of the week.

Organisers could not have scripted it better for US fans: a showdown between two charismatic former champions six years after their memorable first meeting at Flushing Meadows.

In 2019, defending champion Osaka routed a tearful 15-year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-0, then comforted her opponent and urged her to address fans in the stadium, a display of sportsmanship that delighted the crowd.

“It would be a cool kind of deja vu type of situation, but hopefully it will be a different result,” Gauff said.

Six years after their first meeting in NYC, Coco and Naomi meet again in Round 4 🤩 pic.twitter.com/SzSKAbnCFh

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2025

Even the doubles courts reflected the theme of experience and determination, with 45-year-old Venus Williams and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez earning a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi in their first tournament together.

Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev put an end to the fairytale run of Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong in five sets.

There were three more retirements in the men’s draw on Saturday after the injury-induced exit of sixth seed Ben Shelton the day before.

Alex de Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti and 435th-ranked Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi all moved on when their opponents threw in the towel.

Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, while Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova and Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk both won in three sets.

Elsewhere, Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak produced a superb comeback to knock out Russian ninth seed Karen Khachanov in an epic second-round contest.

Majchrzak came back from two sets down, overturned a 5-2 fifth-set deficit and saved five match points to come through 2-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-5 7-6 (10-5).

Meanwhile, Russian Andrey Rublev came through a tough four-set encounter with American Tristan Boyer.

Boyer, ranked 113th in the world, extended the match by taking the third set before 15th seed Rublev completed a 6-3 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-4) victory .

Rublev’s next opponent will be Coleman Wong, who backed up his history-making first-round victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic with a four-set win over Australia’s Adam Walton.

Wong’s first-round success made him the first male player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam singles match in the Open era.

Lorenzo Musetti was a 6-4 6-0 6-2 winner over Belgian veteran David Goffin and the 10th seed will face fellow Italian Flavio Cobolli next.

Cobolli, the 24th seed, won a match tie-break to beat American Jenson Brooksby in a marathon second-round match that lasted more than four and a half hours.

Former US Open champion Coco Gauff has stumbled into the second round of the tennis Grand Slam, squeezing past Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in an error-strewn three-hour battle.

Third seed Gauff punched her ticket to the second round on Tuesday, after overcoming a litany of self-inflicted errors to win 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5 in a match that lasted 2hr 57min.

“It was a tough match. Ajla was tough; she was getting so many balls back,” 2023 winner Gauff said after her win.

“It wasn’t the best but I’m happy to get through to the next round.”

Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, had prepared for the US Open by shaking up her coaching team on the eve of the tournament in an effort to fix her shaky service game, replacing coach Matt Daly with Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist.

However , on the evidence of Tuesday night, the 21-year-old American still has plenty to work on if she is to have any realistic chance of mounting a deep run in New York.

Gauff finished with a whopping 59 unforced errors and 10 double faults, and her serve was broken six times. She heads to the second round knowing that a more ruthless opponent than Tomljanovic might have punished those mistakes.

As it was, Tomljanovic had her own problems, suffering eight breaks of serve and making 56 unforced errors before bowing out.

Gauff admitted that her unsettled build-up to the tournament had been draining.

“Honestly it’s been really tough, mentally exhausting,” Gauff said. “But I’m trying. It wasn’t the best today, but it was an improvement on last week [in Cincinnati]; I’m just trying to improve with each match.”

There were no such problems for the reigning Wimbledon champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, though, as they recorded emphatic victories.

World number one Sinner began his bid for back-to-back US Open titles by waltzing to a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Czech world number 89 Vit Kopriva, needing just 1hr 38min to advance to the next round.

“It feels great to be back here. Obviously it’s a very special tournament,” said Sinner, who is attempting to become the first man to repeat as US Open champion since Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004-2008.

Sinner, 24, faces Alexei Popyrin in the third round.

“I’m very happy that I’m healthy again,” said the Italian, who was forced to retire from last week’s Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner’s blistering start on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court was matched by Poland’s Swiatek, who was similarly emphatic in a 6-1, 6-2 rout of Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.

The 24-year-old from Poland was always in control against 84th-ranked Arango, overwhelming the Colombian with some powerful groundstrokes mixed with some deft work at the net.

The win makes Swiatek the first woman in history to win 65 consecutive WTA-level first round matches, surpassing Monica Seles’s previous record of 64.

The six-time Grand Slam singles champion – a winner in New York in 2022 – will face the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens in the second round.

IGA SWIATEK WORLD RECORD‼️

Iga Swiatek breaks Monica Seles’ record for most consecutive opening matches won in the Open Era. pic.twitter.com/iS9VFjfSLB

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2025

Meanwhile , two-time former champion Naomi Osaka had no difficulty in dispatching Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4.

The Japanese former world number one revelled in returning to a venue that she regards as a home from home.

“Whenever I play here the atmosphere feels like home, and it is home for me,” said Osaka, who is seeded 23rd and will next face American Hailey Baptiste.

In other women’s draw results on Tuesday, Ukrainian 27th seed Marta Kostyuk took down Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-4. Eighth seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States ousted Australia’s Kimberly Birrell 6-3, 6-2.

Brazil’s 18th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia advanced with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Britain’s Sonay Kartal. But there was disappointment for rising French star Lois Boisson. Boisson, who captivated her homeland with a run to the semifinals of the French Open in June, exited in three sets to Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic, losing 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.

Elsewhere, 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti outlasted big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4 6-4 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium and will face Belgian David Goffin.

After Daniil Medvedev’s chaotic exit on Sunday, Marin Cilic became the latest former champion to be knocked out as 23rd seed Alexander Bublik beat the Croat 6-4 6-1 6-4 on Grandstand, while American 14th seed Tommy Paul made short work of Denmark’s Elmer Moller 6-3 6-3 6-1 to book a second-round clash with Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

Third seed Alexander Zverev closed out the evening’s action on the main showcourt by beating Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-2 7-6(4) 6-4 to set up a meeting with Jacob Fearnley.

World number one Jannik Sinner dropped only four games in a dominant straight-set win over Vit Kopriva in the first round of the US Open.

The defending champion wrapped up a 6-1 6-1 6-2 victory over Czech player Kopriva, ranked 89th in the world, in an hour and 38 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Most notably, the 24-year-old Italian showed little sign of the illness which forced him to retire early from his Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz last week.

“I’m very happy that I’m healthy again and that we did our best to be in the best possible shape here,” Sinner said after his win.

Kopriva, making his main-draw debut in New York, failed to pose any serious threat to Sinner, who has now won 22 consecutive matches at hard-court Grand Slams.

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.

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.

JANNIK SINNER meets Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Cincinnati Open final.

The pair recently clashed in the Wimbledon final, with Sinner getting the better of Alcaraz in four sets.

The Spaniard will be looking for his revenge, having won at the All England Club two years in-a-row before Sinner’s triumph.

Sinner comes into the final as defending champion, while Alcaraz lost his last appearance in the Cincinnati Open final to Novak Djokovic in 2023.

• Start-time: 3pm ET/ 8pm BST
• TV channel: Tennis Channel/ Sky Sports

Follow ALL the latest from the final below…

Emma Raducanu brushed aside Olga Danilovic at the Cincinnati Open to make a confident start with her new coach.

The British number one has added Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francis Roig to her team on a full-time basis as she prepares for the upcoming US Open.

And the surprise 2021 champion in New York cruised to a 6-3 6-2 win in her first match since the Spaniard came aboard.

Danilovic beat British number three Katie Boulter in the first round while Raducanu had a bye, and the Serbian number one broke Raducanu to love in the first game of Saturday’s match.

After four breaks of serve between the pair in the opening five games, Raducanu came from 30-0 down to grab another and make it 5-3.

The 22-year-old won seven points in a row to bring up three set points and took the first with an ace.

In the second set, Raducanu drew errors from her 24-year-old opponent and eventually earned a break for 3-2.

From that point the world number 39, ranked four spots higher than Danilovic, did not drop another game as she booked her spot in the third round in Ohio.

Raducanu is playing in the WTA 1,000 event for the first time since 2022 and could next face world number one Aryna Sabalenka, against whom she suffered a narrow Wimbledon defeat last month.

Earlier, Poland’s Iga Swiatek eased through to the last 32 as the Wimbledon champion claimed a 6-1 6-4 win over Russian Anastasia Potapova.

Australian Open champion Madison Keys of the United States saved two match points before beating Germany’s Eva Lys 1-6 6-3 7-6 (7-1).