Grand Slam tennis has been a two-man show for the last two seasons, with Jannik Sinner (four titles) and Carlos Alcaraz (three titles) trading the last seven major crowns. Unsurprisingly, then, the two great rivals entered this year’s US Open as the overwhelming favorites in the men’s singles draw, and through four rounds of this fortnight, they very much remain in the pole position.
Still, the US Open remains unpredictable—the last six editions have produced six different champions—so the home stretch of America’s Grand Slam holds the promise of the new. And if it ends with a Sinner-Alcaraz final, it might be predictable, but it’ll likely be outstanding, the two great rivals of this generation battling for an Open title with the world’s No. 1 ranking on the line.
With that, let’s take a look at the remaining contenders, how they got here and their road to the 2025 US Open men’s singles championship:
Jannik Sinner
Seed/Rank: 1/1
Next Opponent: No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti
Best US Open Result: W (2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2024-25 Australian Open, 2024 US Open, 2025 Wimbledon,)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-1
Time Spent on Court: 8 hours, 12 minutes
The numbers for Sinner are almost comical: He is now 12-1 on hard courts this season, 51-3 going back to the start of the 2024 summer hard-court season and 25-0 in his last 25 Grand Slam matches on the surface, his last defeat being a fourth-round setback to Alexander Zverev at the 2023 US Open. He entered this year’s tournament as the prime title pick and, despite Carlos Alcaraz’s excellent Open thus far, maintains that standing. The Italian has lost just one set and spent just over eight hours on court—bested only by Alcaraz and his quarterfinal opponent, countryman Lorenzo Musetti, neither by a wide margin—meaning he should be close to 100% as he makes his run at becoming the first repeat winner in men’s singles since Roger Federer won the last of his five consecutive Opens in 2008.
Lorenzo Musetti
Seed/Rank: 10/10
Next Opponent: No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner
Best US Open Result: QF (2025)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2022, 2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2024 Wimbledon, 2025 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-1
Time Spent on Court: 7 hours, 45 minutes
Following a tricky first-round victory over the big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Musetti has cruised into quarterfinals behind a cavalcade of one-sided victories, dropping just 15 games in his last nine sets (one of which was abbreviated by a Flavio Cobolli retirement). It has been an impressive turnaround for the swashbuckling Italian, who had struggled since reaching the semifinals at the French Open, going 1-4 between then and the start of the US Open (including 1-3 during the summer hard-court circuit). It’s difficult to say whether that lack of match play will mean that Musetti is untested heading into—or rested for—his first US Open quarterfinal, but unquestionably the challenge ahead of him is massive: top seed and defending champion Sinner, on the world No. 1’s most dominant surface.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Seed/Rank: 25/27
Next Opponent: No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur
Best US Open Result: SF (2021)
Best Grand Slam Result: SF (2021 US Open), QF (2021 Wimbledon, 2022 Australian Open, 2025 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-1
Time Spent on Court: 11 hours, 55 minutes
Auger-Aliassime had the look of a future Grand Slam champion when he reached the 2021 US Open semifinals as a 21-year-old, a run of form that included quarterfinal finishes at 2021 Wimbledon and the 2022 Australian Open, which propelled him to No. 6 in the world. Surprisingly, he had not advanced to the quarterfinals at a major since, bounced prior to the second week in 11 of his previous 13 Slams. But then came the 2025 US Open, and what a fortnight it’s been for the dynamic Canadian, perhaps the most impressive of any man to this stage. Auger-Aliassime has advanced to this year’s quarters having surrendered just one set, behind victories over the always dangerous Roman Safiullin, No. 3 seed and former finalist Zverev, and No. 15 seed and four-time US Open quarterfinalist Andrey Rublev. Next up: a Wednesday showdown with De Minaur in a battle of two of the fastest men on tour.
Alex de Minaur
Seed/Rank: 8/8
Next Opponent: No. 25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime
Best US Open Result: QF (2020, 2024-25)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2020 US Open, 2024 French Open, 2024 Wimbledon, 2024-25 US Open, 2025 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-1
Time Spent on Court: 8 hours, 28 minutes
De Minaur has been one of the most consistent Grand Slam performers in the men’s game over the past two years. He reached the fourth round or better at all four majors last year—with quarterfinal showings at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows—and this year advanced to the quarters at the Australian Open and the fourth round at Wimbledon. Missing from his resume, however, is a Grand Slam semifinal (he’s 0-for-5 in the Round of 8 thus far); he’ll have designs on that achievement when he faces Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday. De Minaur arrives in fine form, having dropped just one set and logging only eight hours, 28 minutes on court—nearly three-and-a-half hours less than his quarterfinal opponent.
Taylor Fritz
Seed/Rank: 4/4
Next Opponent: No. 7 seed Novak Djokovic
Best US Open Result: F (2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2024 US Open), SF (2025 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-2
Time Spent on Court: 10 hours, 1 minute
Fritz is beginning to become a regular at this stage of Grand Slams, having advanced to the quarterfinals or better at six of his last nine majors and in each of his last three trips to New York. Last year was his true coming-out party, with the California native making the first trip to a US Open men’s singles final by an American man since Andy Roddick in 2006. The next step: Becoming the first U.S. man to win a Grand Slam title since Roddick here in 2003. Fritz’s path to doing so isn’t easy. First up, a blockbuster quarterfinal against 10-time US Open finalist and nemesis Djokovic (see below for more), followed by potential matchups with No. 2 seed Alcaraz in the semis and top seed and defending champion Sinner in the final.
Novak Djokovic
Seed/Rank: 7/7
Next Opponent: No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz
Best US Open Result: W (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (24-time Grand Slam champion)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-2
Time Spent on Court: 9 hours, 35 minutes
Djokovic is into the US Open quarterfinals for the 14th time—second only to Jimmy Connors’ 17 in the Open Era—a rebound from his stunning third-round loss to Alexei Popyrin a year ago. At this stage in his career, the 38-year-old has openly stated that the Grand Slams are his priority—and also that he doesn’t know precisely how his body will respond match to match. And while Djokovic has yet to be stretched to the maximum at this year’s Open, he has been pushed to four sets twice in what has been a relatively easy draw. In that case, facing fourth seed and reigning finalist Fritz in the quarterfinals may seem like tough luck, but Djokovic owns a 10-0 career record against the American and has won 23 of the 26 sets they’ve played, including 17 of the last 18. With a victory Tuesday night, Djokovic will have reached the semis at all four majors this year, a feat potentially matched only by world No. 1 Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz
Seed/Rank: 2/2
Next Opponent: No. 20 seed Jiri Lehecka
Best US Open Result: W (2022)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2022 US Open, 2023-24 Wimbledon, 2024-25 French Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-0
Time Spent on Court: 7 hours, 37 minutes
Alcaraz suffered a shock loss in the second round a year ago to Botic van De Zandschulp, but he is back on course at this year’s Flushing fortnight, bulldozing his way into the quarterfinals without dropping a single set—the only man to boast that achievement. With that, Alcaraz is now into his 11th Grand Slam quarterfinals in his last 12 majors, a run he kicked off with his title here in 2022. Even better for the Spaniard? He has spent a paltry seven hours, 37 minutes, the least of any man remaining, so he should have plenty left in the tank as he sets his sights on major title No. 6—and a return to the top of the world rankings.
Jiri Lehecka
Seed/Rank: 20/21
Next Opponent: No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz
Best US Open Result: QF (205)
Previous Best US Open Result: 3R (2024)
Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2023 Australian Open, 2025 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-3
Time Spent on Court: 11 hours, 11 minutes
In some ways, the 23-year-old Lehecka’s breakthrough is overdue. He has been on a steady rise up the rankings in the last few years, climbing from No. 81 (year-end 2022) to No. 31 (2023) to No. 28 (2024) to his current perch of No. 21, with a Top-15 breakthrough coming up after the Open. He has also shown the ability to compete—and win—at the highest level, posting victories this year alone over Jack Draper, De Minaur, Holger Rune, Grigor Dimitrov and his opponent in the Flushing quarterfinals, Alcaraz. Lehecka remains, though, fairly untested at this stage of a Grand Slam, with only one prior major quarterfinal, a straight-sets loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne in 2023. And fatigue could be a factor—he has logged three-and-a-half more hours on court to this stage than Alcaraz.
