Tennis titans Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will clash in Sunday's US Open final, marking their third successive Grand Slam championship encounter this year.
The Italian world number one and Spanish second seed have dominated men's tennis throughout 2025, meeting previously in the French Open and Wimbledon finals.
The showdown represents an unprecedented achievement in the Open era, with the pair becoming the first players to contest three major finals within a single season.
Sinner secured his place in the final by defeating Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a three-hour-and-twenty-minute battle on Friday.
The defending champion encountered physical difficulties during the match, requiring medical attention between the second and third sets.
Despite the setback, Sinner recovered sufficiently to close out the victory, though he acknowledged afterwards that his injury was "nothing too bad".
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“I just felt a small twitching after a serve when I served there in the second set on 4-3. After the treatment, was feeling much, much better,” Sinner said.
“At some point I didn't feel anything anymore. I was serving back to normal pace, so it was all good. Nothing to worry about.
“But I preferred to go off court because it's on a different spot. So it's all good.”
The Italian's serve accuracy notably dipped during his struggles, dropping to 40 per cent in the third set.
Earlier on Friday, Alcaraz dismantled Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
The Spaniard broke Djokovic in the opening game and maintained control despite the Serbian veteran's attempts to mount a comeback.
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Alcaraz holds a commanding 9-5 advantage in their career meetings, including three victories from four encounters during 2025.
The 22-year-old triumphed at the French Open in June before Sinner gained revenge at Wimbledon the following month.
Their rivalry ignited at Flushing Meadows in 2022 when Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the quarter-finals.
"We are two different players now, with different confidence, too," Sinner reflected on their evolution since that encounter.
The Italian's remarkable 2025 campaign has yielded 26 victories from 27 Grand Slam matches, capturing the Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns.
His achievement places him alongside Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Djokovic as only the fourth player to reach all four major finals in a single season.
Alcaraz expressed his delight following the semi-final triumph, stating: "It's a fantastic feeling to be in the final again."
His opponent echoed similar sentiments, declaring: "Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again."
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Sinner acknowledged their mutual familiarity, noting: "We've played each other a lot, we know each other very well."
The final is scheduled to commence at 20:00 on Sunday evening. Djokovic, reflecting on his semi-final defeat, conceded: "They're just too good, they're playing at a high level. I ran out of gas."
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