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Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in four sets on Sunday to win the US Open and reassert his dominance of an era-defining rivalry in a final delayed by the visit of United States President Donald Trump. The 22-year-old Alcaraz won 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to capture his second US Open crown and sixth Grand Slam title, avenging his lone defeat in a major final by Sinner at Wimbledon in July. “It’s a great feeling. I’m working really hard just to lift this trophy. It’s my second one but it’s still a dream come true,” said Alcaraz. Alcaraz will reclaim the world number one ranking from Sinner, returning to top spot on Monday for the first time since September 2023 after ending the Italian’s 27-match winning run at hard-court Grand Slams. “It was one of the first goals that I had, to recover the number one (ranking),” said Alcaraz, who also defeated Sinner in an epic French Open final in June. Alcaraz has now won seven of the past eight meetings and is 10-5 overall against Sinner. “I tried my best today. I couldn’t do ...

World number one Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Amanda Anisimova to defend her US Open crown on Saturday, defeating her American rival in straight sets to clinch the fourth Grand Slam title of her career. Sabalenka ruthlessly attacked Anisimova’s shaky service game to complete a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which cements her status at the pinnacle of women’s tennis. The 27-year-old from Belarus had gone into Saturday’s final knowing it was her last chance to grab a Grand Slam crown in 2025 after agonising losses in the Australian and French Open finals. Sabalenka duly atoned for those defeats to end Anisimova’s hopes of a remarkable redemption just two months after her traumatic 6-0, 6-0 thrashing by Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final. “It’s crazy, all those tough lessons were worth it for this one,” said Sabalenka after becoming the first woman to successfully defend the US Open since Serena Williams in 2014. “I’m speechless right now.” Anisimova had won six of nine previous encounters against...

Donald Trump will become the first sitting United States president to attend the US Open in a quarter-century on Sunday, as he joins the legions of fans in New York to catch a highly anticipated showdown between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Republican Trump has attended numerous sports events to meet with his supporters, but he may not receive the warmest welcome at the US Open in deeply Democratic New York City. He was once a fixture of the tournament before taking office and in 2015 was booed by some tennis fans not long after launching his presidential campaign. Ticketholders can expect extraordinary security measures at the sprawling Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Trump’s home borough, Queens, where the final tennis major of 2025 is on track for a fourth straight year of record-setting attendances. While the pricey playground for tennis fanatics and designer-clad social media influencers regularly brings in an array of A-listers, the tournament has not seen a sitting US president since Bi...

Alcaraz welcomes Trump’s planned attendance at the US Open final, calling it a boost for tennis

Carlos Alcaraz overpowered Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday to set up a blockbuster US Open final showdown against world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner. Spanish second seed Alcaraz produced a ruthlessly efficient display to end Djokovic’s latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 in two hours and 23 minutes. Alcaraz was then followed into the final by arch-rival Sinner, who was forced to work hard by Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime before wrapping up a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. It means that Alcaraz and Sinner will collide in a third consecutive Grand Slam final this year on Sunday, where United States President Donald Trump will be among a 23,000 crowd to watch the latest instalment of the gripping “Sincaraz” rivalry. Alcaraz won the duo’s first meeting in an epic five-hour 29-minute tussle at the French Open in June before Sinner dethroned the Spaniard in the final at Wimbledon the following month. Alcaraz...

Iga Swiatek weathered an unexpected storm to reach the US Open third round on Thursday, while defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner delivered a masterclass and Naomi Osaka rediscovered her groove at Flushing Meadows. But the day’s most dramatic moments belonged to Coco Gauff, who wiped away tears mid-match before rallying to beat Donna Vekic and avenge her Olympic heartbreak from Paris. Second seed Swiatek, fresh from her Wimbledon triumph and Cincinnati title, was forced to grind it out against unseeded Suzan Lamens in a 6-1 4-6 6-4 thriller on Arthur Ashe Stadium that proved far trickier than expected. “It got a bit complicated in the second set, but I’m happy that I could reset and start playing better in the third,” said the 2022 champion, who sealed victory with an ace to set up a clash with 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya. World number one Sinner had no such trouble, dismantling Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-3 6-2 6-2 in ruthless fashion to book a third-round date with Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov. Osak...

Iga Swiatek survived a second-set scare to beat the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on Thursday, as the 2022 champion battled back on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the US Open third round. The second seed has looked like a top contender after picking up her sixth major at Wimbledon and clinching the Cincinnati tune-up tournament and she cleaned up some mid-match errors to keep her campaign on track. She will play 29th seed Anna Kalinskaya in the third round. Swiatek was in control as she broke in the second game when her opponent hit the ball long and she saved a break point in the third game with an unreturnable serve. The Pole broke her opponent from the baseline again in the sixth game, as Lamens was unable to fire off a single winner in the first set. It looked as though it would be a similar story when Lamens went down an early break in the second set, but the Dutchwoman showed signs of life when she hit a backhand winner that just hit the baseline to level it in the fourth game. Swiatek retaliate...

Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the third round of the US Open with a blistering straight-sets victory on Wednesday as Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to advance. Alcaraz, who could meet Djokovic in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows if the draw follows the seedings, blew away Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in just one hour 36 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium main court. The 22-year-old Spanish second seed unfurled a stream of 32 winners in a dominant display against the 65th-ranked Bellucci, whose best performance in a Grand Slam came with a run to the third round at Wimbledon earlier this year. “I played great to be honest, from the beginning until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, who will face another Italian, 32nd seed Luciano Darderi, in the next round. “The less time I spend on court the better for me, to go to bed early,” he added. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Serbian legend Djokovic kept his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title alive after a four-set defeat of American qualifier Zachar...

Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner showed their championship pedigree at the US Open on Tuesday with commanding displays at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, walloping their first-round opponents on the third day of first-round action at the newly expanded major. Wimbledon champion Swiatek arrived in pristine form after capturing the Cincinnati title and made quick work of Emiliana Arango 6-1 6-2 in just an hour, never facing a break point. The 2022 winner acknowledged the unique challenge of New York’s atmosphere afterwards. “Every year is tough, because New York is just so loud, and it’s hard to find that balance off the court,” she said. “But I’ve got to say I’m probably good at it compared to other players, so I’m really trying to be in my bubble.” She next plays the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens. Top-ranked defending men’s champion Sinner followed suit with an equally dominant performance, swatting aside Czech Vit Kopriva 6-1 6-1 6-2. The Italian, who had entered last year’s tournament under the dark cloud of a doping con...

Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the US Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos late on Sunday when Daniil Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game. New York’s famously rowdy fans caused a six-minute delay by refusing to stop jeering and booing midway through Medvedev’s 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat by Benjamin Bonzi on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The controversy began when a photographer entered the court prematurely after Bonzi missed his first serve on match point at 5-4 in the third set, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award the Frenchman another first serve for the disturbance. An incensed Medvedev exploded at the official and whipped up the crowd, preventing a rattled Bonzi from serving. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev talks to the referee during his first round match against France’s Benjamin Bonzi. — Reuters Daniil Medvedev breaks his racket after losing in five sets to Benjamin Bonzi of France d...

Emma Raducanu bagged her first US Open victory since her fairytale 2021 title triumph on Sunday with a straight-sets demolition of Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara. The Briton was in complete control throughout, breaking Shibahara’s serve routinely on her way to a 6-1, 6-2 drubbing on the Louis Armstrong Stadium showcourt. The win was Raducanu’s first at the US Open since she made history four years ago, winning the championship as a little-known qualifier at the age of 18. She was knocked out in the US Open first round in 2022, missed the 2023 tournament due to injury, and exited in the first round again in 2024. “I’m very pleased to have come through that match,” Raducanu said afterwards. “First rounds are very challenging always, the nerves, and I wanted to win a match here really bad.” Raducanu admitted that her failure to win in New York since her memorable title triumph four years ago had begun to weigh on her. “It has been on my mind,” she said. “It’s been four years, and it’s a very special tournament...

Iga Swiatek shrugged off lingering weariness to partner Casper Ruud to back-to-back victories in the revamped mixed doubles competition at the US Open on Tuesday. Swiatek — who on Monday had battled through a two-hour tussle with Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open — looked full of energy as she and Ruud powered into Wednesday’s semi-finals. Swiatek and Ruud needed just 39 minutes to dispatch the US pairing of Madison Keys and Frances Tiafoe 4-1, 4-2 in their opening game at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and then reappeared roughly 20 minutes later to defeat Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti 5-3, 4-2 in their quarter-final clash. The victories capped a gruelling 24 hours for Polish star Swiatek, who hot-footed it to the airport after Monday’s win in Cincinnati and only arrived at her hotel in New York in the early hours of Tuesday. View this post on Instagram “Honestly the last two days have felt like one day, but I’m super happy to be here,” Swiatek said. Ruud and Swiatek had just enough time to fit in a quick ...

Nine of the world’s top-10 men and nine of the top-10 women have officially entered into the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles event, tournament organisers said on Tuesday, with former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu teaming up. The competition, which will take place a week before the singles main draw during its “Fan Week”, will award $1 million in prize money to the winning team. Sixteen teams have entered and the entry window closes on July 28, after which the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking will be in the draw via direct acceptance, with eight more wildcard entries. “In our initial discussions about reimagining and elevating the US Open mixed doubles championship, we wanted to find a way to showcase the world’s best men and women competing with and against one another,” USTA CEO Lew Sherr said. “We were confident that we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity. Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the ...