How Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz can make Open Era history with US Open final clash
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been the ATP Tour’s two dominant forces for quite some time, and that has become even more evident in 2025.
The pair have now won seven straight Grand Slam singles titles, one of the most successful duopolies of the Open Era, and are the heavy favourites to meet in a third straight major singles final at the US Open.
Their first Grand Slam singles final came back in June, Alcaraz edging out Sinner in an instant classic at Roland Garros, only for the Italian to gain revenge in a four-set victory at Wimbledon.
Alcaraz and Sinner have both progressed safely into the second week of the US Open and remain big favourites to meet in yet another Grand Slam final.
Should the world’s top two players meet in New York, they would achieve something that has not been done since the birth of the professional sport in 1968.
If Alcaraz and Sinner book a US Open final clash, they would become the first men in the Open Era to meet in three Grand Slam finals in the same season.
Men to meet in two major finals in same season (Open Era)
Though the same two men have never met in three major finals in the same year, the same two men have met in two Grand Slam finals on 17 separate occasions.
That includes Alcaraz and Sinner after their Roland Garros and SW19 clashes, and in the recent two decades, there has been a significant uptick thanks to the dominance of the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
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Before Alcaraz and Sinner this year, the last time two men had met in multiple Grand Slam finals in the same season was Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, at the Australian Open and US Open in 2021.
The 17 occasions in which this has happened in the Open Era are listed below:
1974: Jimmy Connors def Ken Rosewall at Wimbledon, Connors def Rosewall at US Open
1978: Bjorn Borg def Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon, Connors def Borg at US Open
1980: Bjorn Borg def John McEnroe at Wimbledon, McEnroe def Borg at US Open
1981: John McEnroe def Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon, McEnroe def Borg at US Open
1984: Ivan Lendl def John McEnroe at French Open, McEnroe def Lendl at US Open
1987: Ivan Lendl def Mats Wilander at French Open, Lendl def Wilander at US Open
1995: Andre Agassi def Pete Sampras at Australian Open, Sampras def Agassi at US Open
2006: Rafael Nadal def Roger Federer at French Open, Federer def Nadal at Wimbledon
2007: Rafael Nadal def Roger Federer at French Open, Federer def Nadal at Wimbledon
2008: Rafael Nadal def Roger Federer at French Open, Nadal def Federer at Wimbledon
2011: Novak Djokovic def Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, Djokovic def Nadal at US Open
2012: Novak Djokovic def Rafael Nadal at Australian Open, Nadal def Djokovic at French Open
2013: Novak Djokovic def Andy Murray at Australian Open, Murray def Djokovic at Wimbledon
2015: Novak Djokovic def Roger Federer at Wimbledon, Djokovic def Federer at US Open
2016: Novak Djokovic def Andy Murray at Australian Open, Djokovic def Murray at French Open
2021: Novak Djokovic def Daniil Medvedev at Australian Open, Medvedev def Djokovic at US Open
2025*: Carlos Alcaraz def Jannik Sinner at French Open, Sinner def Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Has it happened before?
Though it has not happened in the Open Era, men meeting in three Grand Slam finals in the same season did happen in the amateur age.
However, you still have to go back six decades to find this.
The last time two men met in three major finals in a season was in 1964, when Roy Emerson beat Fred Stolle in the Australian Championships, Wimbledon, and US Championships finals.
Before that, Emerson had lost the Australian, French, and US Championship finals to Rod Laver in the 1962, the previous case where this had happened.
Laver completed the Calendar Grand Slam in 1962, with his Wimbledon victory coming over Marty Mulligan.
That remains the last season that only three men have reached Grand Slam singles finals in a season, another record that could be matched this week.
Another Alcaraz-Sinner final would mean that they and Alexander Zverev — the Australian Open runner-up to Sinner — were the only men in major finals this year.
While the feat has never been achieved in the Open Era on the men’s side, there have been four times that two women have met in three major finals in an individual season:
1984: Martina Navratilova def Chris Evert at French Open, Navratilova def Evert at Wimbledon, Navratilova def Evert at US Open
1985: Chris Evert def Martina Navratilova at French Open, Navratilova def Evert at Wimbledon, Navratilova def Evert at Australian Open
1987: Steffi Graf def Martina Navratilova at French Open, Navratilova def Graf at Wimbledon, Navratilova def Graf at US Open
2002: Serena Williams def Venus Williams at French Open, Serena def Venus Wimbledon, Serena def Venus at US Open
