Sports Betting
Who knows how long this Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz era of men’s tennis will last, but it’s at least clear at this point that it is, in fact, an era. Sunday’s final will mark the eighth straight Grand Slam won by one of these two mega stars.
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Since the start of 2024, Sinner has won the last two Australian Opens, Wimbledon this year (against Alcaraz in the final) and last year’s U.S. Open. During that period, Alcaraz has won the last two French Opens and 2024 Wimbledon. Alcaraz also won Wimbledon in 2023 and the 2022 U.S. Open.
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Alcaraz’s straight-set victory against Novak Djokovic in the semifinal showed the gap between the top two and anyone else. Alcaraz hasn’t lost a set yet at this U.S. Open.
Sinner has dropped just two sets: one to Denis Shapovalov in the third round and one in the semifinal to Felix Auger-Aliassime, but has been utterly dominant otherwise. He demolished No. 23 seed Alexander Bublik while just losing three games in the fourth round and then lost just seven games to fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti in a quarterfinal.
Now, the top two players meet in a final in New York. Perhaps more impressive than the fact that they will account for the last eight Slams between them is this is their third straight Grand Slam final against each other, all on different surfaces. That is a bleak sentence for anyone else trying to win tennis tournaments right now.
Alcaraz won in Paris after an epic 5 1/2-hour match that was so good it vaulted the rivalry into the mainstream sports landscape. Sinner won in London with a comparatively straight-forward four-set victory.
That Wimbledon win is the only time Sinner has beaten Alcaraz in the last two years. Alcaraz is 6-1 against Sinner since the start of 2024. Despite that, Sinner is still favored with -125 odds on BetMGM. It’s not lopsided (Sinner was a comical -2500 for the semifinal). Alcaraz is near even money to get the win.
The two met last month in the Cincinnati Open final and Sinner retired in the first set due to an illness.
(Photo of Alcaraz: Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)
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Dan Santaromita is a senior editor for sports betting who has worked at The Athletic since 2021. Dan previously worked at NBC Sports Chicago and ProSoccerUSA. He is a University of Missouri graduate who resides in Chicago. Follow Dan on Twitter @TheDanSanto
How to watch 2025 U.S. Open men’s final: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz continue dominance – The New York Times
