Martina Navratilova Gives her Verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s Triumph Over Jannik Sinner at the US Open final
Carlos Alcaraz was broken just once by Jannik Sinner in over two hours of their encounter at the US Open final.
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Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Martina Navratilova (via X/The Tennis Letter/Danny)
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Carlos Alcaraz denied Jannik Sinner the opportunity of becoming the first man to defend the US Open title since Roger Federer (from 2004 to 2008). The Spanish tennis ace also ensured that Sinner didn’t win his third Grand Slam of the year, while taking his major title tally to six on tour and four in the past two seasons.
Alcaraz and Sinner had to wait for over half an hour due to a rain delay and rugged security measures to accommodate US President Donald Trump. It was Alcaraz who wasted no time taking control of the match at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, approaching his game with uncharacteristically speed which forced Sinner to make nine unforced errors.
The Italian star then responded in the second set with his trademark groundstrokes and volley, beating Alcaraz at every frequent foray at the net. Sinner found consistency in his baseline striking as he aimed to overwhelm his opponent. It worked, and he won the second set, taking the tie to 1-1.
Sinner was expected to continue with the momentum, but it was Alcaraz that rose to the occasion, breaking the now World No.2 twice and leading 5-0 before the Italian star then ensured he wasn’t bageled in the tournament. Ultimately, Alcaraz went on to beat the 24-year-old 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win his second Slam of the season.
During a conversation on Sky Sports Tennis, tennis legend Martina Navratilova was asked what she made of Alcaraz and Sinner’s performance at the US Open final. The former WTA World No.1 felt that though Sinner raised the bar ahead of their meeting, Alcaraz produced an aggressive and consistent performance on Sunday (September 7).
I think Sinner has been raising the bar, but Alcaraz has come up with a level of tennis that I haven’t seen from him today. That was the aggression on the serve. I mean, he was serving rockets on the forehand side. He was going with so much pace, but so much consistency, bullying Sinner from the back of the court. And you can see, you know what it means to him. It really was a statement performance and a statement win from Alcaraz.
Sinner and Alcaraz have now faced each other in back-to-back major finals on tour. The latter has won their encounters twice, while losing to the former at the Wimbledon Championships. Also, Alcaraz has defeated the four-time Grand Slam winner in seven of their last eight outings on tour.
Carlos Alcaraz reveals why he was able to defeat Jannik Sinner in the final of the US Open
Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the men’s circuit by a wide margin above the rest of the players. Their rivalry has instilled in them a willingness to always improve their games. Alcaraz leads Sinner 10-5 in their head-to-head record on tour, including 4-1 in tour-level finals.
During Alcaraz’s press conference after winning the US Open, he was asked about his rivalry with Sinner. The World No.1 admitted that he loves watching him and that the reason he defeated him in New York on Sunday was because he loves to study his rival during his matches.
I love watching him play. I think it is unbelievable what he’s doing. Secondly, it’s because I love to study him, how he plays, how he feels in the tournaments, just so that if I played him in that tournament, I would have feedback on how he’s been playing in the tournaments.
Alcaraz broke Sinner five times during their clash at the US Open, one more than he was broken throughout the tournament. Additionally, he outran Sinner by hitting 42 winners compared to the Italian’s 21 and dropped just nine points behind his first serve points.
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