Carlos Alcaraz Plays Mind Games With Jannik Sinner as the Battle for World No.1 Heats up at the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz will face Mattia Bellucci in the second round of the 2025 US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz Plays Mind Games With Jannik Sinner as the Battle for World No.1 Heats up at the US Open

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image vIa X/Jannik Sinner HQ, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Carlos Alcaraz opened his US Open campaign with a straight-sets win over Reilly Opelka to stay on course for a potential matchup against Jannik Sinner in the final. The former World No.1 had to dig deep against a brilliant serving Opelka at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn his spot in the second round at Flushing Meadows.

The Spaniard’s rivalry with Sinner has gotten to another level this season as both players have faced each other in back-to-back major finals. If they do meet again in the final of the US Open, they will become the first pair since Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (between 2011 Wimbledon and 2012 French Open) to reach three consecutive Slam finals.

Their first major final clash came at the French Open in June, where Alcaraz produced a masterful comeback to beat Sinner, who was two sets up. Sinner then earned his revenge at the Wimbledon Championships after a month to end Alcaraz’s hopes of winning the grass-court Slam for the third consecutive season.

Alcaraz was asked during his post-match press conference if he was piling pressure on Sinner by winning his opening match at the US Open. The 22-year-old admitted that he’s focused on giving his best every time he steps on the court in the tournament and knows that the World No.1 will easily win his opening match:

Honestly, I don’t think so. Honestly, I don’t think I’m pressuring him in any way, I mean, I’m sure he will get through the first round, he will try to do his best to overcome it, just as I did tonight. I try not to think too much about the number 1, about the ranking position, I just try to go as far as I can in this tournament, play my best tennis, and we’ll see what happens in the end. Whoever plays better in this tournament will end up as No.1, so I don’t think that issue is pressuring him.

Alcaraz and Sinner recently met at the Cincinnati Open final, but the match unfortunately ended as the latter retired due to illness. However, Alcaraz claimed the title taking his tally this season to six, including three ATP Masters 1000 titles. Sinner, on the other hand, has won only two titles and has been to five finals.

Sinner will kick off his title defense at the US Open against Czech Republic star Vit Kopriva. The Italian is expected to easily win the match. He’s projected to face Alexei Popyrin in the second round before a potential major test against American star Tommy Paul in the fourth round.

Carlos Alcaraz satisfied with his first-round performance at the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz debuted a new hairstyle during his opening match against Reilly Opelka at the US Open. The World No.2 didn’t drop in concentration throughout the match against the big-serving American as he converted three of his 11 break chances. He won the tie 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and five minutes in New York.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

He revealed after the match that he wasn’t at his best rhythm during the clash as Opelka’s serve was a big problem for him. However, he was satisfied with his performance and the hard-fought win:

With [Reilly’s] serve, I couldn’t get that rhythm I wanted to get in the match, but just really happy with everything I’ve done today. I think the return was one of the best things I did today and then I just tried to pay my best tennis, be focused on the serve. I think overall, I did a great performance today.

Alcaraz will face Mattia Bellucci in the second round of the US Open. He will aim to avoid a repeat of his last year’s second-round exit after he fell to Dutch star Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets. With his current win-loss record of 55-6, the Spaniard is favorite to cruise through to the third round of the Grand Slam.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic Rings Alarm Bells on his Physical Condition After US Open First Round Win