Sinner's championship character shines through US Open loss

NEW YORK: When Jannik Sinner walked off the Arthur Ashe Stadium court after falling 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's US Open final, more than just a match had ended.

The 24-year-old Italian's 65-week reign as world number one was over, his 27-match winning streak on hardcourts at the Grand Slam level had snapped, and his bid to defend his 2024 US Open title had failed.

Yet, in the immediate aftermath of defeat, Sinner displayed the maturity that has defined his rise to tennis's summit.

"First of all, I would like to start with Carlos and the whole team, you're doing amazing, congrats ... it's a great moment," he said during the trophy ceremony, gracious even amid the ruins of his championship dreams.

The loss marked a historic moment in men's tennis - Roger Federer's 2004-08 US Open title defence remains the last successful men's title defence at the tournament.

For Sinner, it concluded a remarkable season that saw him reach all four Grand Slam finals, winning two and losing two.

His fifth meeting of the season with Alcaraz - their third Grand Slam final of 2025 - shifted their rivalry firmly in the Spaniard's favour, with the head-to-head now standing at 10-5 for Alcaraz.

But Sinner's post-match analysis revealed a player already looking ahead rather than dwelling on what was lost.

"He has improved. I felt like he was a bit cleaner today ... I give lots of credit to him, because he handled the situation better than I did," Sinner said in his press conference, offering a frank assessment without excuses.

"He played better than me today."

Perhaps most tellingly, the Italian identified his own areas for improvement with surgical precision and shared them candidly.

"Well, I was very predictable today," he said. "Now it's