US Open 2025 preview: 'Sincaraz' in focus again at Flushing Meadows; Aryna Sabalenka seeks rare streak

NEW DELHI: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have combined to win the last seven major titles — a streak that ranks fourth among the longest in the Open Era. And it is tough to find someone in the men's draw who can disrupt this spell at the US Open, which gets underway on Sunday.Their run, which started at 2024 Australian Open, is only behind Roger Federer-RafaelNadal (11), Nadal-Novak Djokovic (9) and Djokovic-Nadal (9). Victory for either in two weeks will not only extend that streak but ensure two consecutive years where the Spaniard or the Italian have lifted the trophy at a major.If Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were attributed to have wiped out an entire generation of players, we might be witnessing much of the same being repeated now. Large credit, then and now, to the players concerned, was due to their consistency on all three surfaces.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Jannik Sinner has clinched the last three hard-court majors — the 2024 and 2025 Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, has ruled Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, and lifted the French Open in both 2024 and 2025.
Paris this year marked the first time the duopoly reached the grandest stage: a Slam final. In that thriller, Alcaraz saved three championship points before prevailing. It was one of four meetings between them in the last four months, all in finals. Should they meet again at Flushing Meadows, the stakes will be nothing less than the trophy and the world No. 1 ranking. The rivalry, nicknamed ‘Sincaraz’, has already produced 14 chapters. One of its finest came at the 2022 US Open, when Alcaraz edged Sinner in a 5hr 15min quarter-final that ended at 2:50am. The latest instalment, however, was more muted. In the Cincinnati Open final, Alcaraz stormed to a 5-0 lead before Sinner retired with a virus. That ended the Italian’s 26-match hard-court winning streak — his previous defeat also at the hands of Alcaraz. The Spaniard, meanwhile, has been in blistering form: a tour-leading six titles this season and 39 wins from his last 41 matches.Sinner, now back to full health, welcomed the rivalry on Media Day. “Me and Carlos, we’re sharing big trophies, but at the same time, things can change,” said the top-ranked Italian on Friday. Alcaraz was just as generous. “Thanks to him, I bring my best tennis in the match,” he said in Cincinnati. “I think for the people, too, it’s great watching our matches. As we’ve said many, many times, we raise our level to the top and bring really beautiful tennis in these matches.” Sinner is also chasing history of his own: to become the first man to defend the US Open title since Roger Federer’s five-in-a-row streak from 2004 to 2008.Between them, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have captured nine of the last 12 majors. The other three belong to Novak Djokovic. Yet even the Serb, with his 24 Grand Slam titles, finds himself cast as an outsider to the new duopoly. “I kind of empathise with the third guy, because I was in those shoes with Federer and Nadal,” Djokovic said with a smile. “I want to see a third guy coming in.” Could that “third guy” still be him? Djokovic, a four-time US Open champion, is chasing a record-extending 25th major. But since winning here in 2023, he has reached just one Grand Slam final. The 38-year-old admitted his motivation now centres exclusively on the Slams. That approach has been underscored by his absence from tour events since a semi-final defeat to Alcaraz at Wimbledon. With age and injuries catching up — a hamstring issue at the Australian Open and a thigh problem at Wimbledon — the extended break may prove timely. His campaign in New York begins against American youngster Learner Tien, who upset Daniil Medvedev in Melbourne earlier this year. The road ahead could feature tough hurdles in Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and, inevitably, Alcaraz.“When it comes to individual sports like ours or boxing, Formula 1, golf, people love to see rivalries,” Novak Djokovic said about ‘Sincaraz’. “I think their rivalry is, without a doubt, the best one we have at the moment. And it looks like it's going to stay like that for some time. “And then you have obviously other young players that are definitely going to challenge them, and hopefully somebody can get in the mix. There are players that are able to have that joker spot, the third spot,” he added. Djokovic, of course, holds that ‘joker card’ himself. But there are others who could give Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz a run for their money. Chief among them is World No. 6 Ben Shelton. The 22-year-old American brings just what home fans crave — a booming serve, electric energy, breathtaking shot-making and plenty of flair. To cap it off, he celebrates with bicep curls and a mock ‘hang-up-the-phone’ routine after his wins. “I think I'm an entertainer at heart. I’m never going to be the guy who is able to robotically go about my business and not change expression or show any emotion. I think that I play better when I do show some emotion," he said on Friday. But the challenge at the US Open is immense. The last American man to win a major singles title was Andy Roddick at this very event in 2003. Taylor Fritz came closest last year, reaching the final before falling to Sinner — the first American man in 15 years to contest a Slam title match. Shelton’s road is no easier this time. He could run into Alcaraz in the quarterfinals and Sinner in the final. Against the two, his record in majors this year reads 0-3. “Frustrating,” Shelton admitted. “Two very different players and challenges,” he added of the ‘Sincaraz’ threat. Others lurking in the draw include three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev, 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, and Fritz.World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has collected three titles on the WTA Tour this season, the joint-most. She lifted the Miami and Madrid Opens, while finishing runner-up at Indian Wells and Stuttgart. With 50 match wins, she leads the tour and also tops the Race to the WTA Finals. What eludes her is the one prize that matters most — a Grand Slam. Her bid for a Melbourne three-peat ended painfully against Madison Keys, followed by an early exit at the French Open and a semi-final defeat at Wimbledon. That has only steeled the Belarussian’s resolve to defend her US Open crown. Victory in New York would place her alongside greats. The last woman to win back-to-back US Opens was Serena Williams, who captured three in a row between 2012 and 2014. “My thought is to change that,” said the 27-year-old. “But, wow, that’s insane, you know, how unpredictable women’s tennis is, right? Should we change it? Should we try at least to change it?” After Wimbledon, Sabalenka skipped Montreal to rest. She returned in Cincinnati, but went down in straight sets to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. Despite that, she insists the mood is upbeat. As the top seed, Sabalenka could run into USA’s Coco Gauff in the semi-finals — a repeat of last year’s final and their French Open clash earlier this season. But her biggest challenge may come from Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who enters New York brimming with confidence. The second seed followed up her maiden Wimbledon triumph with victory in Cincinnati and a run to the mixed doubles final here. Swiatek, who beat Sabalenka en route to her 2022 US Open crown, barely paused after Cincinnati. Hours later, she was in New York, shrugging off fatigue to partner Casper Ruud in the mixed doubles, where they finished runners-up to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.On the eve of the US Open, Coco Gauff has made a bold move, bringing biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan into her corner. MacMillan, who previously worked with Aryna Sabalenka on her serve, joins at a time when Gauff’s own delivery is under heavy scrutiny. The 21-year-old American leads the WTA Tour in double faults this season — 320, well ahead of Jelena Ostapenko’s 211. The numbers have been stark: 42 double faults across three matches in Montreal, including a staggering 23 in a single outing. In Cincinnati, she handed Jasmine Paolini 16 free points the same way. “Gavin became available. I just felt this was the best decision for my game at least and I had to go with what I was feeling,” Gauff said. Since winning the French Open, she has managed a modest 5-4 record. While the timing of the change — days before a Slam — raised eyebrows, Gauff insisted the call was about the bigger picture. On a rain-hit Wednesday, she was already grinding on her serve with her team. “A tournament is a tournament. I hate losing regardless of where I am,” she said. “I hope I can get it all together — I think I'll play either Monday or Tuesday — by then. If not, I have the rest of this year to work on it. “But I do know I needed to make a change, technical change to it, and I don't want to waste time continuing doing the wrong things.”Gauff's first test of her serve would come against a tricky opponent in Australia's Alja Tomljanovic, someone who has the experience of dealing with crowd favourites having sent Serena packing in her last-ever US Open appearance.