Alcaraz beats rival Sinner in U.S. Open finale for 6th Slam title and No. 1 ranking

Carlos Alcaraz reasserted his superiority over Jannik Sinner with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory Sunday in the U.S. Open final for his second trophy at Flushing Meadows and sixth overall at a major. This was the third Grand Slam tournament in a row where these elite, young rivals met to decide the champion.

The match's start was delayed for about a half-hour while thousands of fans were stuck outside Arthur Ashe Stadium while going through extra security because President Donald Trump sat in a sponsor's suite. Perhaps the extra wait got the No. 1-seeded Sinner, who was the defending champion.

Right from the beginning, under a closed roof because of rain earlier in the day, No. 2 Alcaraz outplayed Sinner, reversing the result from when they played for Wimbledon's title less than two months ago.

Alcaraz's leads over Sinner are now 10-5 in their head-to-head series, 6-4 in major trophies, and 2-1 in U.S. Open championships. Plus, this 2-hour, 42-minute win allowed Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain, to take away the No. 1 ranking from Sinner, a 24-year-old from Italy.

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Alcaraz defeats Sinner for 2nd U.S. Open title, takes over world No. 1 ranking

This hard-court matchup followed Alcaraz's victory over Sinner after erasing a trio of match points on the French Open's red clay in June, and Sinner's victory over Alcaraz on Wimbledon's grass in July.

"I'm seeing you more than my family," Alcaraz joked, eliciting a grin from Sinner. "It's great to share the court, to share the locker rooms, everything."

Sunday's showdown represented the first time in tennis history that the same two men played each other in three consecutive Slam finals within a single season.

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