The US Open Men’s Final, one of the most talked about contests in recent times, held between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, did not live up to the expectations and the hype. In reality it turned out to be a fairly one sided affair. Sinner looking to defend his title ( Roger Federer had done it in 2008 ), fell short in big measure against the rampant Spaniard.
Even before the two top players in Men’s Tennis were to meet in their third consecutive Grand Slam final, I was beginning to realise, that Sinner was below par, while Alcaraz was imperious in his performances.
Sinner, appeared a bit tired, not physically 100℅, error prone and struggling with his first serves. He is such a great player, that he still managed to reach the finals. But against Alcaraz, his shortcomings in the tournament could not be hidden. The muscular, energetic, and supremely fit Alcaraz was far beyond the defending champion that Sunday night.
His intimidating physique notwithstanding, Alcaraz served brilliantly right through the tournament. His court coverage was phenomenal and his baseline stroke making was nothing but solid. A monumental effort and smart thinking was required to get past Alcaraz. Sinner unfortunately just didn’t have the answers.
The moment Sinner missed his first serve, Alcaraz moved in a bit closer and attacked the second serve with great venom. Sinner just didn’t have a chance. The Italian tried to push the tramlines, with deep shots and acute angles, creating much more errors. He tried to manufacture something which was not possible, such was the pressure from Alcaraz. The Spaniard very smartly kept the ball in play with solid strokes and let Sinner make all the errors. It was in a way easy for Alcaraz.
In the end it was a fair result. Alcaraz claimed his second US Open and took his tally of Grand Slam wins to 6, and in the process ascended to the World No. 1 ranking, pushing the Italian to second place.
It was a riveting year of Grand Slams, with Sinner and Alcaraz sharing the honours. While Sinner won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz won the French and the US Open. Sinner became the youngest player in the open era to reach the finals of all the four grand slams in a calendar year.
What players, what rivalry.