Joined by U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi,, Arabella Kushner, Jared Kushner, Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of Treasury, Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump, center, salutes during the playing of the national anthem before the start of the men's singles final between Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, and Jannik Sinner, of Italy, at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after scoring a point against Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, reacts after defeating Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during the men's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
FILE - Winner Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy's Jannik Sinner hug after the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
President Donald Trump deplanes Air Force One as he arrives at LaGuardia Airport in New York, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Tennis fans line up to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, play in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the US Open tennis men's singles final Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Flushing, N.Y. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Tennis fans line up to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch Jannik Sinner, of Italy, and Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, play in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, reacts after a rally against Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot against Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)
Joined by U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi,, Arabella Kushner, Jared Kushner, Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff, and Secretary of Treasury, Scott Bessent, President Donald Trump, center, salutes during the playing of the national anthem before the start of the men's singles final between Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, and Jannik Sinner, of Italy, at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns a shot to Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jannik Sinner has evened the U.S. Open final against Carlos Alcaraz by winning the second set.
The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz won the first set 6-2 in 37 minutes once the match finally began after a delay because of extra security measures in place with in a suite at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sinner, the defending champion, then took the second set 6-3. That was the first set Alcaraz has lost in his seven matches in the tournament.
Increased security checks at entrances to the grounds and, separately, to get into the arena’s building itself caused the U.S. Tennis Association to push back the final “to ensure that fans have additional time to get to their seats.â€
When the first point was played, the 24,000-capacity arena was only about two-thirds full, while , waiting in line to enter.
Trump is the first sitting president to attend the tournament at Flushing Meadows since Bill Clinton in 2000.
Right after the first set ended, Trump was shown on the stadium’s scoreboards, and there were loud boos in an arena far closer to full than at the start of the match.
Trump raised his left fist as the noise continued.
Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy, is trying to become the first repeat men's champion since Roger Federer won five championships in a row there from 2004 through 2008.
He's also bidding for his third Grand Slam title of the season, after the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and fifth of his career.
Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, is seeking his sixth major trophy overall and second of 2025, after the French Open. His first Slam title came in New York in 2022 as a teenager — after defeating Sinner in the quarterfinals.
Even though both are quite young, theirs is already .
Sunday's showdown represents the first time in tennis history that the same two men played each other in three consecutive Grand Slam finals within a single season.
This hard-court matchup follows erasing a trio of match points on the French Open’s red clay in June, and in July.
So this is a tiebreaker of sorts. Plus the winner will be at No. 1 in the rankings on Monday.
No matter who comes out on top, this is the eighth consecutive major title — and 10th of the past 13 — that will end up in the hands of Sinner or Alcaraz.
Sunday's match is Sinner's fifth final in a row at the biggest events in tennis, a run that began with his . Since the start of that tournament, he has won 33 of 34 matches at the majors. The loss? To Alcaraz at Roland-Garros.
Over the last two seasons, Sinner is 1-6 against Alcaraz and 109-4 against everyone else.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, has won 36 of 37 contests since May. The loss? To Sinner at the All England Club — also . Alcaraz leads the tour in wins (60) and titles (six) in 2025 and has reached the finals at his past eight tournaments.
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: . More AP tennis:
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