US Open: Sinner battles injury, sets up final with Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner shook off an injury scare on Friday night to book his spot in the US Open final, setting up yet another mouth-watering clash with rival Carlos Alcaraz.

The defending champion wasn’t at his sparkling best but still did enough to grind past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The win keeps Sinner’s Grand Slam streak alive, the 24-year-old has now reached five consecutive finals, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, while only falling short to Alcaraz at Roland Garros.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. After blitzing through the first set, the Italian lost momentum in the second, wincing at times before calling for a medical timeout. Auger-Aliassime, playing just his second Slam semi-final, seized the moment to level.

Sinner, however, returned with more composure, nicking the third set before closing out the fourth against a fading opponent.

“Sunday is a very special day and an amazing final again,” Sinner told the New York crowd afterwards, brushing off concerns about his fitness. “We’ve played each other a lot, we know each other very well. Our rivalry really started here in 2022.”

Earlier, world number two Alcaraz had powered past Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to seal his place in the final.

Sinner now joins tennis greats Rod Laver, Roger Federer and Djokovic as the only men to reach all four Slam finals in a single season. Still, the numbers don’t lie, Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 9-5 and has beaten Sinner three times already in 2025.

Sunday’s showdown at Flushing Meadows is shaping up as the latest chapter in tennis’ fiercest new rivalry.