Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz: Battle for world No 1 ranking in US Open final
It is the final that most people expected before the start of the tournament, and, for the third straight major event, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz battle it out for Grand Slam glory.
It is the first time in the Open Era that the same two men have contested three major finals in the same season, and it will also be the eighth straight Grand Slam tournament won by either Sinner or Alcaraz — putting them just three short of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s duopoly record.
Sinner will look to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to successfully defend the US Open title, while Alcaraz will be looking to regain the title he won for the first time back in 2022.
However, it will not just be the final Grand Slam title of the season up for grabs on Sunday afternoon, with the world No 1 ranking also at stake between the ATP’s two leading names.
As it stands
Twelve months ago, Sinner and Alcaraz’s US Open fortunes could have hardly been more contrasting.
Defying the then-emerging controversy of his failed drug tests from earlier in 2024, world No 1 Sinner stormed to what was a second Slam title and first US Open title, earning 2,000 ranking points in the process.
It was an entirely different story for Alcaraz, who, after winning the Wimbledon and French Open titles that summer, was stunned in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp — earning just 50 points.
Having also lost in the second round of the Cincinnati Open last summer, the Spaniard closed the gap on Sinner’s world No 1 ranking at the ATP 1000 event this summer, lifting the title after the Italian retired with illness in the final.
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And, that placed Alcaraz within 2,000 points of Sinner heading into the US Open, handing him the chance to return to world No 1.
When you took away both of Sinner’s 2,000 and Alcaraz’s 50 points from 2024, it was the Spaniard who held the most points in the ATP Live Rankings ahead of the event.
With 10 points guaranteed for round one, Alcaraz’s official total of 9,590 only dropped to 9,550 at the start of the event.
However, taking away 1,990 points from last year’s triumph, Sinner dropped from 11,480 official points to 9,490 points in the live rankings.
Sinner knew that he had to better Alcaraz’s result at this tournament to remain as the world No 1 and, with the final between the two set, this match is a straight shootout for the top spot.
If Sinner wins, he will retain his ranking. If Alcaraz wins, he will return to No 1.
Should the Italian triumph, he will remain on 11,480 points while Alcaraz will hold 10,840 points — still a significant increase on his pre-event tally.
However, if Alcaraz wins, he will surge to 11,540 points, with Sinner dropping to 10,780 points.
World No 1 significance
Sinner rose to the world No 1 spot for the first time in June 2024, replacing Novak Djokovic after the French Open that year.
The Italian has not dropped from world No 1 since, and has currently amassed 65 weeks — and counting — as the world No 1.
That already ranks him 12th all-time for most weeks at the top across the 29 men to hold the ATP world No 1 position, and his 65 straight weeks is currently the 11th longest uninterrupted spell.
However, it is also currently the fourth-longest debut stint at the top, with only Lleyton Hewitt (75), Jimmy Connors (160), and Roger Federer (237) spending more time at the top in their first spell as No 1.
Alcaraz has already spent 36 weeks as the world No 1, the 17th most of the 29 men to hold the top ranking,
He has already had four separate spells at the top, though he has not been the world No 1 since September 2023.
