Jannik Sinner relishing Carlos Alcaraz grudge match as US Open finalists make history

For the third time this year, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a Grand Slam final. Just three weeks after their championship match in Cincinnati came to an unfortunate end, with Sinner retiring citing illness just 23 minutes in, the world No.1 will have a chance to put up a real fight against Alcaraz at the US Open.

This is the first time in the Open Era that the same two opponents have met in at least three Major finals in the same season - and the No.1 ranking will also be on the line.

Ahead of their US Open showdown, defending champion Sinner said: "I love these challenges. I love to put myself in these positions.

"He's someone who pushed me to the limit, which is great, because then you have the best feedback you can have as a player. We have faced each other quite a lot now lately, so you know, things are getting a little bit different.

"Always when we step on court, we are aware of maybe more things, because him or me, we try to prepare the match tactically and in different ways."

Alcaraz is through to his eighth straight final on the tour, while Sinner has reached five successive Major finals.

The world No.2 leads their head-to-head by nine wins to five losses and saved three championship points to beat Sinner in the Roland Garros final.

But the Italian ended Alcaraz's reign at Wimbledon weeks later, beating the two-time defending champion to claim the crown in SW19.

Alcaraz, who won the trophy here as a teenager in 2022, could become the first man to claim the title in Flushing Meadows without dropping a set.

The five-time Major winner beat tennis icon Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

Afterwards, Djokovic declared: "These two players are the best in the world right now."

Reflecting on Sinner's improvement, the Spanish star, 22, said: "I think physically he has improved a lot, and that's obvious. I mean, it wasn't a secret.

"He has spoken about the physical conditions that he has to improve, and I think the last year, the last two years, he has improved a lot physically.

"His matches are really demanding physically that he's able to play at 100 per cent during two, three, four hours, and I think that's the biggest improvement he has made in the last years."

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