All eyes on Sinner and Alcaraz at US Open but Djokovic can spring a surprise

BENGALURU :Defending champion Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are aiming for a third successive Grand Slam final meeting when they take their high-voltage rivalry to the U.S. Open while Novak Djokovic looks to foil the new generation as he hunts a 25th major.

There is no shortage of compelling themes heading into the year's final Grand Slam, with Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev looking to win a first major and Djokovic aiming to move past Margaret Court and take sole possession of the all-time record.

All eyes will be on Sinner and Alcaraz, however, as the torch-bearers of the current generation go into battle again with the world number one ranking at stake.

After Alcaraz saved match points to win a marathon French Open final and retain his crown, Sinner got even by dethroning the Spaniard at Wimbledon last month, setting the stage for a mouth-watering New York final should the pair get there.

While Australian Open champion Sinner has been the dominant force on hardcourts in recent years, he has won only two of his seven clashes with Alcaraz on the surface, which has contributed to his 5-9 overall head-to-head record against the world number two.

The top-ranked Italian arrives in New York having retired due to illness in the Cincinnati final between the duo on Monday, which sparked concerns about his durability after extended spells in the unforgiving heat of the American summer.

"The U.S. Open is going to be a tough tournament but at the same time I'm looking forward to it," the four-times Grand Slam champion said ahead of the tournament, which begins on Sunday.

"If I'm ready, physically and mentally, I'll be ready to push.

"A couple of days of recovery, and then we get again back to work, and hopefully we'll