Jannik Sinner shrugged off a minor injury scare to reach the US Open final, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Italian will now face Carlos Alcaraz for the third consecutive Grand Slam title showdown between the two, following Alcaraz’s French Open triumph in June and Sinner’s Wimbledon victory a month later.
Sunday’s final will be historic – it marks the first time in the Open era that two players have contested three major finals in a single season.
On top of that, the clash will decide the world number one ranking, currently held by Sinner, who has been at the top for 65 straight weeks.
The defending champion was far from his fluent best but managed to secure a 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory.
At 24, Sinner has now won 26 of his 27 Grand Slam matches this year, adding Australian Open and Wimbledon titles to his record, and reaching the French Open final.
Sinner stormed through the opening set but faltered in the second, with a slight injury affecting his movement as Auger-Aliassime leveled the match.
After a medical timeout, the Italian returned with renewed focus, gradually finding his rhythm to close out the next two sets, even if he never fully hit top form.
He will meet world number two Alcaraz on Sunday, after the Spaniard overcame Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 earlier in the day, setting up what promises to be a captivating finale.
“Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again,” said Sinner, who added in his post-match interview that his injury was “nothing too bad”.
He continued: “We’ll see what’s coming. I feel like our rivalry started here playing an amazing match [in 2022, when Alcaraz beat Sinner in the quarter-finals]. We are two different players now, with different confidence too.
“We’ve played each other a lot, we know each other very well.”
