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Dominic Thiem picks 4 stars who could beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, including a Brit and an American

Originally posted on HITC | By Cameron Greenlees | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 12:32 PM ET

After playing back-to-back Grand Slam finals, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are expected to be the clear favourites to reach another championship match at the US Open.

The pair added another chapter to their rivalry in the Wimbledon final earlier this month, following their epic five-set battle at Roland Garros that stretched over five hours.

Together, they’ve claimed seven of the last eight major titles and look set to lead men’s tennis for years to come.

But despite their dominance, former US Open champion Dominic Thiem believes there are four players capable of stopping them at Flushing Meadows in September.

Dominic Thiem on the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Speaking to Cronache di Tennis, Thiem said: “The finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon were incredible. They raised the bar of this sport beyond what we were used to.

“They play faster and faster, but they make fewer mistakes and move better and better. I didn’t expect two more generational talents to arrive so quickly after the Big Three. And Novak is still playing.”

“Today they’re too far ahead. Then they, too, can lose: we saw it with Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon, or even Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Jack Draper if they play perfectly.

“I doubt they’ll win every Slam in the next 10 years, but today they’re one step ahead of everyone.

“I would have liked to play against Alcaraz and Sinner in my prime. I don’t know how it would have ended, but we would have had fun.”

The players who have beaten Alcaraz and Sinner this season

Alcaraz has suffered just six losses in 54 ATP Tour matches in 2025. Between February and March, he was beaten by Jiri Lehecka in Doha, Jack Draper at Indian Wells, and David Goffin in Miami.

Player	Losses this year
Carlos Alcaraz	6
Jannik Sinner	3

At the Australian Open, the world No. 2 fell in the quarter-finals against Novak Djokovic. After that, his next loss came against Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final. He then put together a 24-match unbeaten run that ended with his defeat to Sinner at Wimbledon.

On the other hand, the Italian star has suffered only three defeats this year, all to top-level opponents. Alcaraz has beaten him twice, while Alexander Bublik handed him another loss in Halle.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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