22/08/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | AUG 22, 2025

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Aiming for the top

Alcaraz arrives in New York red-hot and ready to reclaim top ranking

C ARLOS ALCARAZ heads to the US Open in his now-familiar role as chief challenger to defending champion Jannik Sinner and the Spaniard will be driven this year by the twin pursuit of Grand Slam glory and the world number one ranking. The 22-year-old won a tour-leading sixth title of the season in Cincinnati on Monday after Sinner retired from the final with illness while trailing 0-5 in the opening set and the result has turned up the heat in the rankings race ahead of the season’s final major. Health permitting, all signs point to the duo meeting again in a major final and completing a season-defining trilogy after Alcaraz beat Sinner in an epic five-setter to retain his French Open trophy in June before surrendering his Wimbledon crown to the top-ranked Italian last month. Although Alcaraz has excelled on grass and clay, hardcourt consistency has eluded him on the grandest stage following his 2022 US Open triumph, but the five-times major champion is approaching the New York showpiece starting on Sunday with renewed belief. “I’m feeling a lot of confidence, playing on Aging Djokovic out to turn back time AFTER semifinal runs at all three Grand Slams this season, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic arrives at the US Open chasing history while confronting the limits of an aging body. The Serbian great remains in pursuit of an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, but comes to Flushing Meadows without a single competitive singles match since his Wimbledon semifinal loss to eventual champion Jannik Sinner. Skipping hard-court tune-ups in Toronto and Cincinnati, Djokovic has placed all his chips on New York in what many see as his last realistic shot at Grand Slam glory. After his straight-sets Wimbledon loss to Sinner, he admitted reality is “hitting him like never before” and that closing the gap to today’s best gets harder each season. “It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now,” said Djokovic, whose only titles over the past 18 months have been Olympic gold in Paris and an ATP 250 in Geneva in May. “These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with a tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that. “It’s one of these things I accept and embrace in some way, deal with the reality the way it is, and try to make the most out of it.” Djokovic is not only chasing a 25th major but also seeking to become the oldest Grand Slam singles champion. Two years removed from his last major triumph at the 2023 US Open, the seventh seed knows time is running out on his era. What makes this quest all the more compelling is the opposition, with Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz emerging as the standard-bearers of a new generation. Between them, they have claimed every major since Djokovic’s last triumph at Flushing Meadows, with the Serb striving to keep his place among the game’s dominant forces. Whether it proves a breakthrough or a last dance for Djokovic, the spotlight remains on him, with history waiting to be claimed, if his body allows it. – Reuters

Zandschulp last year means Alcaraz will defend 50 points but the Spaniard is determined to avoid another early defeat in his bid to split the majors with Sinner for a second straight year. “It was disappointing, the level that I played there,” Alcaraz said of his 2024 campaign. “So this year, I really want to show good tennis, my best tennis, and try to go as far as I can. “And enjoy as much as I can the love there. We’ll see how it’s going to be.” The Cincinnati champion has gone on to capture the US Open trophy in the previous two years, with Novak Djokovic prevailing in 2023 before Sinner’s success last time, and a philosophical Alcaraz is hoping to keep that run going. “I’m accepting everything that’s happening to me. “I’m trying to learn to be a better person and player from the experiences that I’m living in the last three to four months,” he said on the Tennis Channel. “I’m doing great things that I’m really proud of, so I’m going to try and do the same things in New York.” – Reuters come at the hands of the Spaniard, who rolls into Flushing Meadows with a ton of momentum and a chance to grab the world number one ranking from Sinner. Prior to Monday’s final, Sinner looked unstoppable, not dropping a set in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon for his fourth Grand Slam title in July. “I feel like it was a very positive week,” Sinner, who won the Cincinnati title last year, said on Monday. “Making finals of a Masters event, it’s always an amazing achievement. So we’ll keep going, keep pushing. “I have some points where I need to improve if I want to go far in the US Open. And it was a good test this week, trying to understand where my level is.” He said his focus was firmly on the biggest stages the sport has to offer. “I love Grand Slams a lot.

a different surface,” said Alcaraz, whose US Open triumph three years ago ensured that he became the

youngest world No. 1 since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973. “New York is a place that I love playing in. “It’s where I got my first Grand Slam and I appreciate the love and support that I receive there every year that I go.” Having won five of the last seven events he has played in, the red-hot Alcaraz can reclaim the top ranking at the end of the US

Open fortnight by outperforming Sinner, who will be defending 2,000 points as the champion.

Carlos Alcaraz. – REUTERSPIC

A shock second round defeat by Dutch outsider Botic van de

Sinner’s health comes into focus

TOP-RANKED Jannik Sinner arrives at the US Open as the defending champion and a leading contender, though his withdrawal from the Cincinnati final on Monday due to illness adds a measure of uncertainty to his title defence. The Italian looked off from the outset of his match against rival Carlos Alcaraz and, after quickly falling behind 5-0 in the first set, retired from the match, saying he “didn’t feel great” and apologising to the disappointed fans in Ohio. Tennis World USA reported that Sinner was battling a high fever and flu symptoms the night before and during his match with Alcaraz.

Sinner also mentioned the punishing heat and humidity during his match against Alcaraz, calling it “one of the hottest tournaments we played”. He then announced that he had withdrawn prior to his US Open mixed doubles match on Tuesday. How quickly the 24-year old can bounce back from his illness will have major implications for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year. Sinner and world No. 2 Alcaraz have separated themselves from the pack, having won the last seven major titles between them. While Sinner has compiled a stellar 31-4 win-loss record this year, three of those defeats have

“These are the main tournaments for my season and for my career,” he said. “So U.S. Open is going to be a tough tournament, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to it.

“If I’m ready, physically and mentally, I will be ready to push. “So now I have a couple of days of recovery, and then we get back to work, and hopefully we’ll be ready.” – Reuters

Jannik Sinner. – REUTERSPIC

Errani, Vavassori retain US Open mixed doubles title SARA ERRANI and Andrea Vavassori retained their US Open mixed doubles title yesterday, beating Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in the final of a new-look competition that kicked off action at the last Grand Slam of the year. Grand Slam winner Swiatek. The world No. 3 from Poland battled through a two-hour tussle with Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open on Monday then hot footed it to New York to team up with Norway’s Ruud in the revamped mixed doubles competition.

Vavassori, cultivated over a two-year on-court partnership that also saw them win the French Open mixed doubles title this year, proved decisive. Vavassori admitted he and Errani were on a “mission” to prove themselves against the singles stars. Errani said after their 44-minute semi-final triumph that playing in front of a packed house under the lights on the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium Court was “amazing.” “It’s the court where I feel goosebumps every time here,” she said. – AFP

The Italians pocketed the US$1 million (RM4.2m) first prize after two days of intense work in the 16-team event held for the first time outside the dates of the main tournament, in which singles action begins on Sunday. The compact format and beefed-up prize money drew a slew of singles stars like six-time

Carlos Alcaraz, men’s champion in Cincinnati, also turned out but he and British playing partner Emma Raducanu were eliminated on Wednesday, as was superstar Novak Djokovic, who teamed with fellow Serb Olga Danilovic. The chemistry between Italians Errani and