°µÍø½ûÇø

A few hours later, Italy's Sinner would finish off his 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Canadian Auger-Aliassime, establishing the Flushing Meadows final that somehow seemed inevitable, even if unprecedented: No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz will meet Sunday to decide the U.S. Open champion, marking the first time the same two men have played each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within one season.

"These two players," said Djokovic, a , “are the best in the world right now.�

No doubt about that. They have established themselves as far and away the elite men in the game. 

No matter Sunday’s result, the duo will have split the past eight major trophies and taken 10 of the past 13. Their career totals: Alcaraz owns five Slam titles, Sinner four.

And the No. 1 ranking will be on the line Sunday, when .

at the French Open in June; Sinner defeated Alcaraz at Wimbledon in July. 

Sinner is trying to become the first repeat men’s champion in New York since Roger Federer won the hard-court tournament five years in a row from 2004 through 2008. Sinner also has made it to five straight Grand Slam finals, a stretch that started at the U.S. Open 12 months ago.

Alcaraz hasn’t dropped a set as he pursues his sixth major title and second at Flushing Meadows. 

Go back to April, and Alcaraz is 44-2, making it to the finals at each of his last eight tour-level events. 

“It’s something that I’m working on, just the consistency on the matches, on the tournaments, on the year, in general. Just not having up-and-downs in (a) match,� Alcaraz said. “Probably, I’m just getting mature, just getting to know myself much better, what I need on, off the court.�

Since the start of 2024, Sinner is 1-6 against Alcaraz — and 109-4 against anyone else.

“We have played quite a lot this year,� Sinner said. “So we know each other very well.�

Alcaraz had lost his two most recent matches against Djokovic — in the gold-medal final at the Paris Olympics last year, and in the Australian Open quarterfinals this January.

“It’s not easy playing against him, to be honest,� Alcaraz said. “I’m thinking about the legend; what he has achieved in his career. It’s difficult not to think about it.�

But by the end, Djokovic was “gassed out,� as he described it afterward, and seemed resigned to the result. The 38-year-old from Serbia reached the semifinals at all four Slams this season but exited in that round each time, three via losses to No. 2 Alcaraz, 22, or Sinner, 24.

“It’s frustrating on the court when you are not able to keep up with that level physically, but at the same time, it’s something also expected, I guess,� Djokovic said. “It comes with time and with age.�

His bid to become the first player in the sport’s history to get Slam No. 25 was blocked again, and he thinks part of the issue is trying to overcome much younger men in best-of-five set matches.

“I still want to play … (a) full Grand Slam season next year,� Djokovic said. “Let’s see whether that’s going to happen or not, but … Slams are Slams. They are just different from any other tournament. They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have. But I do fancy my chances a bit more in best-of-three.�

He led Alcaraz 3-0 in the second set, but couldn’t sustain that level.

“Today, I’d say, it wasn’t the best level of the tournament for me,� said Alcaraz, whose 30 unforced errors were the same as Djokovic’s total, “but I just kept a cool level (from) the beginning until the last point.� 

He was wearing a pink, sleeveless shirt and sporting nearly a full head of hair less than two weeks after showing up with a buzz cut he said was necessary when his brother tried to play barber but messed up.

Asked whether he’ll stick with the new look if he wins on Sunday, Alcaraz smiled and replied: “Even better. You will see. … Surprise, surprise.�

___

Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis: