Reigning champion Jannik Sinner says he expects another “special” occasion when he faces Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s US Open final, after sealing his place in a fifth consecutive Grand Slam title match.
The 24-year-old Italian booked his spot with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday. He is now chasing his fifth career major, having joined Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to reach all four Slam finals in a single season.
“I think five straight Grand Slam finals is something great. The consistency and putting myself there in the later stages of the biggest tournaments we have, it’s amazing,” said Sinner. “I would have never thought that I would make this when I turned pro, and now I find myself here.”
Sunday’s final will be the third consecutive major showdown between Sinner and Alcaraz, with the world number one ranking also on the line. Sinner lifted the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies earlier this year, but lost to the 22-year-old Spaniard in a dramatic five-set French Open final.
“On court we like to see each other, you know, because it means that, considering our ranking, we are doing well in the tournament,” Sinner noted.
The two men have history at Flushing Meadows. Their rivalry took shape in a gripping 2022 quarter-final that lasted five hours and 15 minutes and ended just before 3:00am, with Alcaraz prevailing en route to his first Grand Slam crown.
“Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again,” said Sinner. “I feel like our rivalry started here, playing an amazing match. We are two different players now, with different confidence too.”
Sinner has built his success on an astonishing run of 27 consecutive Slam victories on hard courts and is bidding to become the first man to defend the US Open title since Federer completed his five-year reign in 2008.
For Auger-Aliassime, Friday’s defeat ended his hopes of a first major final, after reaching the last four in New York for the first time since 2021.
“I don’t have regrets. I played my way. I played my game. You know, you kind of live and die with your choices,” he said.
