WHAT HAPPENED: Jannik Sinner overcame an injury scare and a burst of brilliance from Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up a showdown with Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 US Open final.
In a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, the defending champ showed steel to go along with the sterling tennis he's flashed all fortnight.
It was business as usual for the no-nonsense Italian until Auger-Aliassime's late second-set blitz coincided with physical issues for the world No. 1, who appeared to struggle with an abdominal problem. In a war of attrition, Sinner steadied to ensure he never trailed on the overall scoreboard Friday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 24-year-old lost just two games against Auger-Aliassime last month in Cincinnati. He wasn't far from losing two sets in New York.
"He's a completely different player. He was serving much better, hitting every shot much better," Sinner said, comparing those two matchups. "So it was a very tough match today, but obviously very, very happy."
When Auger-Aliassime could not convert from 0-40 early in set two—despite seeing second serves on all three break points—Sinner seemed poised to motor into the final. But from 3-3, it was the Canadian who took the wheel.
Fueled by big serves and even bigger forehands, Auger-Aliassime won 12 of the set's final 13 points, closing the frame with two aces. A fired-up FAA found his 'A' game, the type of bang-bang ball that saw him rattle off six straight sets in upsets of Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev. In the second set, he lost just one point behind his booming first serve.
By this point, the Ashe crowd had picked their favorite, and it wasn't the man who was heavily favored before the match.
Sinner left the court for a medical timeout ahead of the third, after the trainer looked at his right arm and shoulder area. The Italian also pointed to his stomach; all signs pointed to trouble.
Four missed first serves did little to quell the question marks, but Sinner held at love behind his second deliveries to open set three and slowly but surely began to wrestle back control. He escaped 15-30 with the help of three aces for 3-2, then peppered two big returns to break for the first time since the first set.
He closed the set like he started it, with a love hold—this one despite not cracking 100 mph on any of his four made serves. But Auger-Aliassime was dealing with struggles of his own by this point, appearing to hit a wall after more than two hours of all-out athleticism against the world No. 1.
Sinner downplayed any injury concerns when speaking to James Blake post-match: "It's nothing too bad. I served after [a while] a little bit faster again. So, no, it's nothing serious," he said, having saved nine of 10 break points.
With a place in the US Open final on the line, both players raised their level in the fourth set, sending one another scrambling with line-painting groundstrokes. A "boomerang break" all but decided the set, and the match: After Sinner saved three break points in a titanic hold for 2-2, the Italian broke Auger-Aliassime in the very next game. He saw home his advantage with three confident holds, making 68% of his first serves in the final frame after a combined 46% mark across the opening three.
WHAT IT MEANS: Sinner is a finalist at a fifth straight Grand Slam. He'll next play for his fifth major title overall and his third of 2025.
For a third straight major, it's Sinner vs. Alcaraz in the final. Sunday's New York showdown will break a tie after Alcaraz saved three match points to win at Roland Garros and Sinner reigned supreme at Wimbledon. Adding to the stakes, the US Open final will also double as a straight shootout for the ATP's No. 1 ranking.
Alcaraz leads the head-to-head, 9-5, including wins this year in the Rome and Cincinnati finals, the latter via retirement. The Spaniard has won six of their past seven meetings dating back to the start of 2024.
In the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, we witnessed the first true epic in what is fast becoming the defining rivalry of this generation. Three years later, they'll share the New York stage once more.
"I feel like our rivalry started here, really, playing an amazing match," Sinner reflected. "We are two different players now, a different confidence, too. Let's see what's coming.
"We've played quite a lot this year, so we know each other very well."
MATCH POINT: Sinner is the youngest man in the Open Era to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a season, joining Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on that illustrious list.
The 24-year-old is on a 27-match winning streak at the hard-court majors, a stretch that started when he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2024 Australian Open. His semifinal win was his 300th tour-level victory overall.
