Carlos Alcaraz won the sixth Grand Slam of his career on Sunday night, with the 22-year-old overcoming Jannik Sinner to win the US Open and become the new world No 1 in men's tennis.
This was the third instalment of the duo's rivalry at Grand Slams this year, having previously met in finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Given how those two contests played out, this was a fitting finale to the 2025 trilogy.
Their first meeting, at the French Open, could have gone either way. It was terrifically tense and Alcaraz, having looked down and out at two sets down, mounted a remarkable comeback to reign supreme.
Carlos Alcaraz produced one of the greatest performances of his career on Sunday, with the tennis star beating Jannik Sinner in the final of the US Open
|REUTERS
Then, at Wimbledon, Sinner got his revenge.
Alcaraz had been the favourite to win at Centre Court. Instead, his great rival dominated proceedings - winning in four sets to claim his first major on grass.
This time, however, it was the Spaniard's turn to dominate. Alcaraz was a man on a mission in New York and certainly started the quicker of the two men.
He broke Sinner in the very first game of the match, with the Italian left reeling. Alcaraz broke his nemesis again to take the first set 6-2, wowing the Arthur Ashe crowd in the process.
JUST IN: Martina Navratilova stunned by 'insane' mayhem at US Open due to Donald Trump presence
Sinner, of course, was never going to just lie down and accept defeat.
Despite having no answer to Alcaraz's brilliance in the first set he responded majestically, finally getting a break of his own and taking full advantage to take the second set.
At this point, the match was on a knife edge. Both men, hitting the ball with precision and power, had cancelled each other out.
But Alcaraz then produced arguably the greatest set of tennis in his short career to swing the pendulum back in his favour.
**SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY GB NEWS SPORTS NEWSLETTER HERE**
King Carlos 👑
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2025
The Spaniard defeats Sinner in four sets to claim his second US Open trophy! pic.twitter.com/C2jBm7F178
He broke Sinner twice again in set No 3. The 24-year-old won just one game, when he was already 5-0 down, with Alcaraz utterly flawless as he started to take control again.
That third set was something else. Alcaraz has, over the years, found a way to break down even the very best.
This was, however, the pinnacle. Nobody - not even the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in their prime - could have fared any better.
At the start of the fourth set, fans were treated to a great spectacle.
Alcaraz spurned break points to really put himself in the ascendancy and Sinner was, just about, able to keep himself in the match - much to the delight of supporters, many of which had endured a difficult time getting into the stadium, who were hoping the blockbuster showdown would go all the way.
Ultimately, however, they didn't get their way.
The decisive moment came in the fifth game of the fourth set. Sinner, with the pressure on his shoulders, double faulted to give Alcaraz an opening.
The 24-year-old then overhit his effort on the next point, giving Alcaraz the crucial break he needed to close in on glory.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Carlos Alcaraz was nothing short of sensational on Sunday
|REUTERS
From that moment on, there was only ever going to be one winner.
Alcaraz remained in control and got the job done, claiming his second US Open title and leapfrogging Sinner to become the new world No 1.
More majors are likely to follow. They're whens, not ifs. Sinner will likely bounce back but this night, without a doubt, belonged to the man on the opposite side of the net.