US Open 2025: Sinner halts Auger-Aliassime surge to set Alcaraz blockbuster final

Sinner steadies, Auger-Aliassime rises, New York gets the final it wanted

Jannik Sinner needed just a handful of clean, ruthless minutes to seize control, then a long stretch of patience to hold it. The world No. 1 and defending champion beat Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday night at Flushing Meadows, booking a Sunday showdown with Carlos Alcaraz and giving the US Open the marquee final it was hoping for.

The match swung through four clear phases. Sinner came out blazing, rushing the court and taking time away to pocket the first set 6-1. Auger-Aliassime recalibrated in the second, serving bigger and changing direction off the forehand to level at one set apiece. The third turned on nerve and defense: the Canadian carved out five early break points, any of which could have flipped momentum, but Sinner refused to blink and wriggled free. From there, the Italian did what top seeds do—he managed scoreboard pressure, broke once, and closed 6-4 under the lights.

For Auger-Aliassime, this was a statement week as much as a semifinal. He took out three seeded players—No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 15 Andrey Rublev, and No. 8 Alex de Minaur—and, more importantly, he looked like himself again. Less than a month ago in Cincinnati, Sinner routed him 6-0, 6-2. On Friday, the Canadian’s serve locations were sharper, his first-step reactions cleaner, and his patterns more deliberate. “I played much better. I served much better,” he said afterward. Knowing the pace and depth Sinner brings, he arrived ready for the tempo this time.

Sinner’s start was all about the return. He stepped inside the baseline on second serves, cut off angles, and hammered backhand drives to the corners to open the court. The first set raced by because he didn’t let Auger-Aliassime settle into any rhythm—no long wind-ups, no free forehands, no easy holds. When the Canadian lifted his first-serve percentage in the second, the match changed tone. Quick one-twos off the serve, a few timely forays forward, and a braver backhand down the line allowed him to dictate. That 3-6 set was the proof of life his camp has been pushing for all summer.

Then came the hinge. Early in the third, Auger-Aliassime built those five break points on the strength of his return depth and a couple of heavy forehands into Sinner’s body. Sinner’s response said everything about where his game is now. He mixed first serves to the backhand, added a kick serve wide to buy time, and took a pair of backhands up the line at full stretch to flip rallies. He saved the last of those chances by stepping around and cracking a forehand inside-out—calm, decisive, no drama. The hold deflated the challenger, and Sinner cashed in later for 6-3.

What separates Sinner at this stage is less about raw power and more about tempo control. Even as Auger-Aliassime found his level, Sinner kept the ball on a string—heavy when he wanted to push the Canadian back, flatter when he needed to rob him of time. On return, he leaned into the body serve to jam the forehand takeback. On serve, he leaned into patterns that disguised intent: a slider out wide followed by an early backhand redirect, or the surprise serve up the T to freeze the returner. In the fourth set, that chessboard awareness made the difference.

Auger-Aliassime walks away with plenty to bank. He showed he can absorb Sinner’s pace for long spells and still create space with his forehand. He got to net on his terms, not out of panic. And the mental piece—resetting after getting blitzed 6-1, not overreacting to the crowd energy, staying invested in long rallies—looked solid. If Cincinnati felt like a gap in class, New York felt like a contest.

For Sinner, the night was a reminder of why he’s sitting at the top of the rankings. He absorbed a push, shut a door in the tightest game of the match, and eased to the finish without giving the opponent a second life. That’s the blueprint of champions in New York.

What Sunday’s final promises: pace vs. invention

We’ve got the blockbuster: Sinner against Carlos Alcaraz for the title at US Open 2025. It’s a rivalry everyone in the sport circles in ink, not pencil. They’ve split big moments across Masters events and Grand Slams, and if you remember their epic quarterfinal in New York in 2022—five sets, a ridiculous level, and a finish deep into the night—you know the blueprint. When they’re on the same court, rallies don’t just get longer; they get faster and stranger.

Stylistically, the matchup is a study in contrasts. Sinner’s weapons are linear and heavy—serve precision, early ball striking, and a backhand that can turn defense into offense in a single swing. Alcaraz builds chaos in the best sense of the word—disguise on the drop shot, burst speed to the forehand corner, and a willingness to change levels and textures mid-point. One tries to freeze the exchange at his preferred speed; the other wants to bend the speed until it breaks.

There’s also the subtle stuff. Sinner is serving with more shape than a year ago, which helps him find free points in tight sets. His first-strike patterns—especially the backhand down the line after a wide serve—have become reliable levers on big points. Alcaraz brings a net game that’s not just flashy but efficient; if he drags Sinner forward with the drop shot, he’s usually already planning the finishing volley. Return position will be a tell. If Sinner parks on the baseline and dares Alcaraz to find lines, he can shorten points. If Alcaraz draws him back with slower second serves and then kicks into the corners, we may see longer, more physical games.

New York’s night conditions should favor clean strikers—the ball tends to sit a touch lower and travel a hair slower. That gives Sinner a little extra time to set his feet and hit through the court. On the other hand, slower conditions let Alcaraz layer in shape and tease Sinner off his spots. The first 20 minutes often set the tone with these two: if Sinner lands his depth early, Alcaraz has to take more risks; if Alcaraz gets feel on the drop shot without donating errors, the rallies open up into his playground.

Three things loom over the final:

• Serve efficiency under pressure: both guys can create break chances in bunches; who saves more with first serves when it’s 30-40 will matter.
• Mid-court forehands: whichever player cleans up neutral balls at the service line without getting tight usually walks away with the set.
• Transition instincts: Alcaraz loves to pounce forward; Sinner’s passing shots are elite. That tug-of-war could decide tie-breaks.

There’s a bit of legacy spice here, too. Sinner, as the defending champion, is protecting turf and rhythm in a building where he’s solved the puzzle before. Alcaraz has made this court feel like home since his teenage years and tends to lift when the occasion asks for theater. Put simply, they both know New York, and New York knows them.

What Friday gave us was a cleaner, tougher Auger-Aliassime and a Sinner in full command of the big moments. What Sunday promises is speed, nerve, and a title match with no hiding places. The stage is set, the crowd will be rowdy, and the line between dominance and survival will be a couple of backhands down the line either way.