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Jannik Sinner Recalls Titanic 2022 US Open Quarterfinal With Carlos Alcaraz Ahead of Their Blockbuster Final

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ermina Reyaz | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 7:35 PM ET

Men’s tennis is at a phenomenal period, as fans will witness yet another Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Grand Slam final at the 2025 US Open. This marks the first time in the Open Era that a duo has reached three men’s singles Grand Slam finals in a season, a testament to their dominance on the tour.

Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the last seven Grand Slam titles between them. After his US Open semifinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sinner, in his on-court interview, touched upon his era-defining rivalry with Alcaraz.

The two first met on court in the round of 32 at the 2021 Paris Masters, where Alcaraz won in straight sets. Since then they’ve met 13 times, Alcaraz winning 8 of those encounters. The moment that Sinner highlighted as the onset of this iconic rivalry was the epic five-set 2022 US Open quarterfinal:

I feel like our rivalry started here… Playing an amazing match. We are two different players now. Different confidence too. Let’s see what’s coming. We’ve played quite a lot this year. We know each other very well. Let’s see who’s preparing in the best possible way. But in any case, it has been an amazing tournament again. An amazing feeling to come here one more time to play in front of you guys. I’m looking forward to it.

Jannik Sinner on facing Carlos Alcaraz next in the U.S. Open final

“I feel like our rivalry started here… Playing an amazing match. We are two different players now. Different confidence too. Let’s see what’s coming. We’ve played quite a lot this year. We know each other very… pic.twitter.com/xS86ke9Xcq
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 6, 2025

The US Open quarterfinal was their fourth meeting on court. Alcaraz was 19, and Sinner 21, with the Italian reaching his maiden US Open quarterfinal. Clocking five hours and 15 minutes, this marked the second-longest US Open match in history.

Alcaraz saved a match point in the fourth set and eventually sealed the win with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3. He went on to clinch the US Open, claiming his maiden Grand Slam title and becoming the youngest ATP World No. 1 in the Open Era.

Carlos Alcaraz will dethrone Jannik Sinner from the World No. 1 rank if he wins the US Open title

As they meet for the second time at the US Open, there are a lot of historical moments waiting to be scripted. Four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner is looking to become the first person since Roger Federer to defend his US Open title.

Federer clinched five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008. Sinner is just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach four Grand Slam finals in a year and also the youngest to do so. The other three who had reached this milestone were Rod Laver, Federer, and Novak Djokovic.

Six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz could become the first man to win the US Open without doing so if he doesn’t drop a set in the final. However, this might be highly unlikely, as none of their previous Grand Slam encounters have ended in straight sets.

Nonetheless, the feat is impressive, as Alcaraz is the first person to reach the US Open final without dropping a set since Roger Federer in 2015. The Spaniard would dethrone Sinner from the World No. 1 rank with this triumph. Sinner is on his 65th consecutive week as World No. 1.

Alcaraz would also be among the few men to win multiple Grand Slam titles on each surface, a small list that includes just Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head record against Sinner on hard court 5-2. The pair last met in the Cincinnati Open finals last month, where Sinner unfortunately retired due to illness.

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

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