3 times Carlos Alcaraz proved he is better than Jannik Sinner in 2024
Thrice this season, Carlos Alcaraz showed Jannik Sinner that he's the better player despite being ranked lower than the Italian.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner (via Imago)
Jannik Sinner ended the 2024 season as arguably the best men’s player of the year. He excelled on the court, winning eight titles including two Grand Slams and three Masters 1000 crowns. The Italian earned a mind-blowing 73-6 record this season. However, despite his dominance he failed to defeat one player – Carlos Alcaraz.
In fact, Sinner won 18 of his 23 meetings against the ATP Top 10 but the majority of the loss was against Alcaraz. The Spaniard beat the World No.1 three times this season more than any player he lost to. Stefanos Tsitsipas is the only player outside of the Top 10 to defeat Sinner, and he did that at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz established a 6-4 lead in his head-to-head record with Sinner despite beginning the year 3-4. We will revisit the three magical times Alcaraz defeated the Italian across the year.
Indian Wells Masters semifinal, Alcaraz defeated Sinner 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
Sinner was on fire heading into the Indian Wells Masters after enjoying a blistering start to the season during which he won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. He was heading into the Indian Wells semifinals on a 16-match winning streak.
It was only Alcaraz who put an impressive display to oust the Italian. The task looked out of reach when the Sinner claimed the first set 6-1 lead. But Alcaraz bounced back striking the ball aggressively and overpowering the World No. 1 in the baseline exchanges.
Despite a three-hour rain delay, the Spaniard’s incredible display earned him a comeback that stunned his opponent. He also leveled their head-to-head record 4-4 and went on to win the title in the final after defeating Daniil Medvedev.
Roland Garros semifinals, Alcaraz defeated Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Ahead of the match, Alcaraz swept aside two top clay-court players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov, respectively. The 21-year-old clash against Sinner was the most anticipated match and it didn’t disappoint.
In a back-and-forth tussle, Alcaraz had to come from behind twice to seal another stunning victory over Sinner. In a tie that lasted for over four hours and 10 minutes, both players received treatment for cramps. Sinner earned more points than his opponent 147-145 but Alcaraz won the match by the finest of margins.
A few days before the match, Sinner had already become the ATP World No.1 and the first Italian to achieve so. But, Alcaraz spoilt the 23-year-old historic party. The Spaniard went on to beat Alexander Zverev in the final to claim his third career Grand Slam.
China Open Final, Alcaraz defeated Sinner 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3)
For the third time in 2024, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz were set to clash again. Just like the first, the Italian had a 16-match winning streak and had just won back-to-back titles in Cincinnati and at the US Open.
Sinner was in a commanding lead to finish the No. 1 in the ATP Live Race. In the first set, he rallied from behind to claim it in the tiebreak. In the second set, Alcaraz raised the level of his game and forced the match to a decider.
The Spaniard carried the momentum into the third set and was leading 3-1 before being pegged back by Sinner. Both fought for every point in the nail-biting deciding-set tie-break, and Alcaraz did just enough to win the Beijing Open.
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Victor Okechukwu
(719 Articles Published)