Carlos Alcaraz has avenged his Wimbledon final loss to Jannik Sinner, producing a performance for the ages in front of an ecstatic Arthur Ashe crowd.
Alcaraz was simply unstoppable against his long-time rival. Frankly, it was one of the best performances of the Spaniard’s career; a performance Sinner had little to no answer for.
The 23-year-old has now won two Grand Slam titles on every surface, taking his total to six. The only major he is yet to win is the Australian Open.
With victory on Sunday, Alcaraz joined Pete Sampras and John McEnroe on an elite list of US Open champions, and equalled Rafael Nadal’s total of six Grand Slam singles titles won before the age of 23; a total only bettered by Bjorn Borg.
Former American star James Blake marvelled at Carlos Alcaraz’s court speed after the match, claiming there is only one other ATP player who can rival the Spaniard.
James Blake says Gael Monfils is the only ATP Tour player who can rival Carlos Alcaraz for pace
Blake, formerly world number four, weighed in on Alcaraz’s speed during the US Open final.
Speaking during ESPN’s post-match coverage on Sunday, Blake said: “Yeah, he [Alcaraz] stayed within himself, and I think that shows the absolute confidence.
“I think we saw it earlier in a few of his other matches that he wasn’t going for the huge return.
“He would take his backhand, make it, and then go for it later, and was able to impress, and is able to have that spectacular, just within himself, the spectacular shots I saw, where he gets… the movement was actually violent.
“It was incredible how well he was moving.
“I think faster, I would give it to Monfils, but quicker. Nobody I’ve ever seen quicker than Alcaraz.
“I would love to know what his schedule’s gonna be like, but this is going to be a battle for number one, I think, for the next four or five years, and I’m excited to see how the level of the game gets better.”
Carlos Alcaraz rivals Rafael Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz made more history on Sunday, this time rivalling his compatriot Rafael Nadal.
As per OptaAce, since 1973, Carlos Alcaraz is just the second player to defeat the ATP world number one in multiple Grand Slam finals in a season after Rafael Nadal.
Nadal accomplished the feat in 2008, when he defeated Roger Federer at the French Open and Wimbledon.
With victory over Sinner on Sunday, Alcaraz reclaimed the world number one spot for the first time since September 2023.
