Sinner, Alcaraz reach US Open final, end Big Three's 23-year-old Slam streak

The Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz era of men's tennis has officially taken full flight after the duo's sensational Grand Slam season in 2025. The world's top two players booked their third successive Grand Slam final meeting of the year at the US Open, bringing an end to the calendar dominance of the Big Three after more than two decades.

For the first time since 2003, a season has passed without Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal reaching a Grand Slam final. The 24-time major champion Djokovic was brushed aside with clinical precision by Alcaraz, who stormed into the final at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set. Sinner, by contrast, had to battle harder, defeating Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night. With both players advancing, they not only extended their rivalry but also rewrote the record books in the process.

US Open 2025 semi-finals: Highlights

Sinner's victory marked his 300th career singles win on the ATP Tour, with his last 100 coming from only 110 matches - a staggering success rate of over 90 per cent. He also overtook compatriot Nicola Pietrangeli as the Italian player with the most Grand Slam victories, recording his 87th. The Italian became only the third man in history to reach five consecutive Grand Slam finals, joining Jimmy Connors (1974-75) and Bjorn Borg (1978-79).

At 24 years and 19 days, Sinner is now the youngest man to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a calendar year, eclipsing Federer's achievement at the age of 25 in 2006. He also equalled Djokovic for the second-longest run of hard-court Slam victories at 27, with only Federer's 40 straight wins between 2005 and 2008 still ahead.

To put his feat into perspective, Rod Laver was 31 when he made all four finals in 1969; Federer was 25 when he achieved the same feat in 2006, and Djokovic was 28 when he accomplished it in 2015. Sinner has joined this elite list far earlier in his career, highlighting the scale of his achievement. He has also become only the fourth man in the Open Era to reach five consecutive Slam finals, a distinction shared otherwise only by Federer, Djokovic and Nadal.

The Italian has also entered another rare club by becoming just the fourth man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open and US Open finals in the same season. Jimmy Connors first did so in 1974-75, Federer followed in 2006-07, and Djokovic achieved it twice, in 2011-13 and again in 2015-16.

The final at Flushing Meadows will be the third consecutive Grand Slam final in which Sinner and Alcaraz face each other, a first in the Open Era. Alcaraz won their French Open clash, Sinner responded at Wimbledon, and the US Open will now provide the decider of their 2025 Slam battles.