The U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, concluded last weekend. Here is a recap of finals weekend, including what to look for as the 2025 season concludes and what to expect next season.
Women’s
On Saturday, Aryna Sabalenka defeated USA’s Amanda Anisimova to claim her second consecutive U.S. Open title, showcasing why she is the world number one and the most dominant player in women’s tennis.
Before the U.S. Open, although Sabelenka was the most consistent player on tour, having won two Masters 1000 tournaments (Miami Open and Madrid), she had suffered crushing losses in the previous three Grand Slams. In Australia, Sabalenka lost in the finals to Madison Keys; in France, she lost in the finals to star Coco Gauff; and at Wimbledon, she lost in the semifinals to Anisimova. All three losses came to Americans in three sets.
As a result, leading up to the U.S. Open, Sabalenka has been battling doubts all season from critics and fans alike. She was eager to claim the final Grand Slam title in the Big Apple and reassure herself that she remains at the top of tennis.
Sabalenka started off the match hot, immediately breaking Anisimova’s serve. The Belarusian star was able to stay connected to her serve, winning the first set relatively comfortably 6-3. The same pattern continued for the majority of the second set as Sabalenka broke serve and was able to serve for the championship at 5-4.
However, the American fought back, hitting effortless groundstrokes with intense pace on break point, to bring the second set back on serve and eventually push the set to a tiebreak. Sabalenka dominated the tiebreak, and on her third championship point, she hit a 117 mph serve that forced Anisimova to go for a tough shot down the line, which she missed, giving Sabalenka her second U.S. Open title and fourth major of her career.
Sabalenka looks to end the season strong at the WTA Finals and have an even better 2026 Grand Slam season. Fortunately for the four-time Grand Slam champion, there are not many players who are consistent enough on tour to challenge her in all the significant events, paving the way for her to have another dominant season.
Men’s
On Sunday, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, world number one and two, faced off in the U.S. Open final, their third grand slam final against each other of the year.
The rivalry between the two took off in 2024. Since then, Sinner or Alcaraz have won every Grand Slam title. This year alone, Alcaraz defeated Sinner at Roland Garros in an epic five-set thriller that is considered one of the greatest Grand Slam finals of all time.
A month later, Sinner avenged his painful defeat at Wimbledon, dominating Alcaraz in four sets. Sinner has won two Grand Slams this season and Alcaraz has won one, setting the stage for the U.S. Open final. Winner claims world number one and adds to their tennis resume in this generation’s next greatest rivalry.
Alcaraz came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. The Spaniard’s ground strokes outpaced Sinners, and his creativity at the net was world-class. Alcaraz easily took the first set. However, the Italian fought back in the second set, evening the match at one set all. While many thought this match would go the distance, Alcaraz went back to dominating the rallies, taking the third set, 6-1. In the fourth set, Sinner struggled to have low-stress service games and eventually was broken.
From there, Alcaraz served up 5-4 for the match. Sinner was able to fight off two championship points, one with an incredible backhand return down the line (giving the audience flashbacks to the Roland Garros final). On his third championship point, Alcaraz hit an unreturnable serve for the victory, giving him his sixth Grand Slam title and reclaiming the world number one spot.
Eight Grand Slams since 2024. Four to Sinner. Four to Alcaraz. Both players are playing on another level compared to the rest of the men’s field. While 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is clearly the third-best player in the world, he even admitted that the level Sinner and Alcaraz are playing at is hard to match. Expect these two to continue facing each other in the majority of the tour-level finals that both play in.
