Key events
Sinner wins 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4!
Fourth set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Auger-Aliassime
Sinner coolly serves it out after 3hr 21min and the world No 1 is through to Sunday’s championship match, where he will meet Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a third straight major final!
Fourth set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 5-4 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
A tidy hold from Auger-Aliassime, who closes it with three straight winners: overhead, ace, backhand. Now Sinner will serve for a place in the final after the changeover.
Fourth set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 5-3 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Sinner holds from love-15 down behind more spectacular ball-striking and Auger-Aliassime will now serve to stay in the tournament.
Fourth set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 4-3 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Squeaky-bum time for Auger-Aliassime, who goes behind 15-30 on his serve. Then a forced error on a 14-shot rally makes it 15-40. Two break-point chances for Sinner to really put the boot down as the match spills into its fourth hour. Auger-Aliassime saves the first behind a nifty second serve, then the second with a forehand winner from just inside the baseline. Deuce. Sinner then sends a backhand flying for game point and seals the hold with a forehand winner that paints the line.
Fourth set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 4-2 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Sinner doesn’t muck about, backing up the break with a stress-free hold. He’s two games from the finish line now.
Sinner breaks in fifth game of fourth set!
Fourth set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 3-2 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Another moment of pressure for Auger-Aliassime, who cracks a 116mph service winner out wide for 30-15 but follows with his fifth double fault for 30-all. Sinner then forces Auger-Aliassime into an error with a crisp backhand for 30-40. A break-point chance for the Italian … and he converts it! It was a punishing forehand that painted the line that Auger-Aliassime could not return into play. The Canadian has been broken for a fourth time and Sinner is only a couple of holds away from a return trip to the US Open final!
Fourth set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 2-2 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
After making a fourth double fault for 15-all, Sinner wins the next point before blinking first in a stunning 14-shot exchange for 30-all. Auger-Aliassime then hits a backhand volley winner on the approach for 30-40 and a break-point chance, pumping his fist to the crowd in excitement. Another fantastic corner-to-corner baseline rally breaks out and Sinner wins it after 15 shots with a backhand winner that just paints the line. Deuce. Auger-Aliassime then nets a forehand on the ensuing point, but another backhand into the net by Sinner pushes it back to deuce. On the next point Sinner sprays a backhand wide and Auger-Aliassime has another break point. And the Canadian wastes that one too, misfiring off the forehand size. A third deuce point. Auger-Aliassime answers by threading a gorgeous running cross-court forehand passing shot for another look at 3-1. The Ashe crowd is really buzzing now. And Auger-Aliassime squanders that one when he biffs the return on a 80mph second serve to the body by Sinner. From there he stacks a couple to quick points to hold after saving a trio of break chances.
Fourth set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 1-2 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime goes behind love-15, then 15-30 on his serve. He then forces Sinner into a forehand error and cracks an emphatic 111mph service winner for 40-30, but Sinner wins the next point for deuce to keep the pressure on. A few points later, Auger-Aliassime escapes with the hold.
Fourth set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 1-1 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime’s energy level appears to have picked up after a bit of a flat third set. He forces Sinner into an error for love-15, then wins a sensational all-court eight-shot exchange with a volley that brings the crowd to its feet for 15-30. Auger-Aliassime then pounces on a second serve down the middle and wins the point for 15-40. Two looks at a break point for the Canadian. Sinner erases the first with a 122mph serve that Auger-Aliassime can’t return into the court, then the second with a beaut of a 119mph ace that curves down the middle for deuce. Another ace, Sinner’s 11th of the night, gives him a game point, which he converts by forcing Auger-Aliassime into an error with a wicked forehand from the baseline. Four points on the trot from 15-40.
Fourth set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 0-1 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime is serving with new balls to open the fourth. He takes the first point with a forehand winner, but Sinner answers with his 25th and 26th winners for 15-30. Pressure point for the Canadian. Auger-Aliassime responds nicely, winning the next point on a Sinner unforced error and following with his eighth ace, but the Italian follows with an overhand winner for deuce. From there Auger-Aliassime pockets two quick points to nail down the hold.
Sinner wins third set, 6-3!
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 Auger-Aliassime
A drama-free closeout for Sinner, who holds at love to take the third set in 51 minutes. Auger-Aliassime is leaving the court to take a bathroom break. Can he regroup and force this match into a decider?
Third set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 5-3 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
After double-faulting for 30-all, Auger-Aliassime dumps a backhand volley into the net and Sinner has a set point. He’s able to save it by forcing Sinner into an error off the forehand side, then stakes a game point with another serve-and-volley attempt that sees Sinner put a backhand into the net. Auger-Aliassime then pockets the hold behind another big first serve. Now Sinner will serve for the third set.
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 5-2 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Sinner coolly holds from love-15 to back up the break, pounding his ninth ace and then sealing the game by pouncing on an Auger-Aliassime drop shot to crack a sharply angled backhand winner. Auger-Aliassime will serve to stay in the third set after the change of ends.
Sinner breaks in sixth game of third set!
Third set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 4-2 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
You kind of figured Sinner wouldn’t be down for long. A double fault and a mishit forehand by Auger-Aliassime puts him down love-30. He responds with a 122mph service winner, but another misfired forehand gives the Italian a break point at 30-40. And he seizes on it, forcing Auger-Aliassime into a forehand error to take the edge in the third.
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 3-2 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Serving at love-15, Sinner hits a second-serve ace clocking 105mph. Auger-Aliassime wins the next point for 15-30, and Sinner responds with another second-serve ace. The Italian then cracks a 113mph ace out wide for game point – his third of the game and eighth of the night – before Auger-Aliassime nets a forehand. Still on serve in the third.
Third set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 2-2 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Another comfortable hold for Auger-Aliassime. The atmosophere in the building seemed to take a dip due to the lengthy break while Sinner was getting treated between sets, but it feels like it won’t be long before it catches fire once again.
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 2-1 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Serving at 30-15, Sinner mixes in a second double fault. A spot of pressure now. But at 30-all, Auger-Aliassime misses badly with a backhand on a 90mph second serve. That would have given him a break-point chance early in the third. Alas. Sinner wins the next point to hold serve.
Third set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 1-1 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime gets the better of his foe in 11-shot rally, but comes to net on the next two points and is passed both times by the Sinner backhand for 15-30. The Canadian then wins a spectacular point with a forehand volley winner to punctuate a 17-stroke exchange, but Sinner wins the next point over 11 shots for 30-40. A break-point chance for Sinner, but Auger-Aliassime rattles off three quick points to save it and pocket the hold. An incredible game, that.
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6, 1-0 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Sinner appears to be OK as he jogs back on to the court. He flies through another service game, holding at love and capping it with a forehand winner from the baseline early in the point.
Auger-Aliassime wins second set, 6-3!
Second set: Sinner 6-1, 3-6 Auger-Aliassime
Auger-Aliassime rips a forehand winner, then watches Sinner net a forehand for 30-love. He’s two points from the set. A sixth ace gives him set point. Then a seventh ace levels the match at one set apiece. Auger-Aliassime closes the set on a tear, winning 12 of the last 13 points. Sinner has summoned the physio for an apparent abdominal issue and he’s headed back to the locker room to determine whether a medical timeout is necessary.
Meanwhile in the interview room below Ashe, Carlos Alcaraz has said Donald Trump’s presence at Sunday’s final will be “great for tennis” as the US president prepares to attend his first match in a decade at Flushing Meadows, where he was once a fixture in the crowd before launching his political career.
Auger-Aliassime breaks in fifth game of second set!
Second set: Sinner 6-1, 3-5 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime rattles off three quick points off the Sinner serve and the No 1 seed is triple break point down again. A lengthy swell of applause between points for Auger-Aliassime as he tries to secure the break. Chair umpire Nico Helwerth then admonishes the crowd and calls for quiet as Sinner attempts to serve. Sinner saes the first of them, but Auger-Aliassime seizes on the second with a sensational inside-out forehand winner before spinning to the crowd and pumping a fist. He will serve for the set right now!
Second set: *Sinner 6-1, 3-4 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime breezes through another love hold and we’re still on serve heading toward the business end of the second.
Second set: Sinner 6-1, 3-3 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Another love hold for Sinner, who’s not serving so bad himself. He’s won 14 of the 15 points in his service games since going down love-40 in the second game of this set.
Second set: *Sinner 6-1, 2-3 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime holds at love. He’s really stepped it up on his serve in the second set, getting nearly 80% of his first serves in and winning 12 of the 13 points on his racket.
Second set: Sinner 6-1, 2-2 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
A straightforward hold for Sinner, helped along by Auger-Aliassime’s 14th, 15th and 16th unforced errors.
Second set: *Sinner 6-1, 1-2 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime strolls through a comfortable hold bookended by his fourth and fifth aces. He’s getting 78% of his first serves in during the second set so far, up from 58% in the opener.
Second set: Sinner 6-1, 1-1 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Sinner goes down love-30 on his serve with consecutive unforced errors before netting a backhand for love-40. Well, well, well. Three break-point chances for Auger-Aliassime and the crowd inside a nearly full Ashe swells in anticipation. The Canadian wastes the first with a sprayed forehand before Sinner erases the second with a filthy backhand winner into the corner from the middle of the baseline. Sinner then rips a 124mph first serve that Auger-Aliassime can’t return into the court. Deuce. From there Sinner pounds a 121mph ace out wide followed by another booming serve that Auger-Aliassime returns long. Five straight points from love-40 down. Cool as you like.
Second set: *Sinner 6-1, 0-1 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
A good start to the second set for Auger-Aliassime, who opens with a 125mph ace followed by a 122mph service winner before holding at love.
Sinner wins first set, 6-1!
First set: Sinner 6-1 Auger-Aliassime
Sinner wastes no time closing out the opener in 43 efficient minutes, winning four staccato points off the serve including a 121mph ace.
Sinner breaks in sixth game of first set!
First set: *Sinner 5-1 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
More pressure on the Auger-Aliassime. Serving at 30-all, he hits a backhand volley winner for game point before missing again off the forehand for deuce. He then double-faults to go break point down, only to save it when Sinner sprays a forehand in an 11-shot baseline rally. But after earning a second break-point chance on the next point, Sinner converts it when Auger-Aliassime misfires off a backhand. Now the world No 1 will serve for the opening set.
First set: Sinner 4-1 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime is playing quite well tonight but Sinner is just too good in the extended rallies. The Italian gets the better of him in a 19-shot exchange to open the fifth game, before Auger-Aliassime takes a couple of points for 15-30. Might it be a chance for the Canadian? Sinner responds with a commanding 125mph service winner down the middle, then another off a short rally for 40-30. He then mixes in his first double fault of the night for deuce. (Notably, his first-serve percentage is below 50% in these early stages.) Sinner gets to game point when Auger-Aliassime nets a backhand, but Auger-Aliassime outlasts the Italian in a 12-stroke rally for deuce. Auger-Aliassime is able to force a third deuce point, but Sinner fights him off from there with a couple of quick points, including his third ace, to pocket the hold and maintain his break advantage.
First set: *Sinner 3-1 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
Auger-Aliassime gets off to a positive start in his second service game, hitting an overhand winner followed by a booming 125mph ace for game point. But the pressure is on again at deuce after Sinner pounds a gorgeous backhand winner down the line before Auger-Aliassime makes another error off the forehand in a 12-shot rally. From there he responds nicely, winning two quick points (including his second serve-and-volley attempt) to escape with the hold and get on the board.
First set: Sinner 3-0 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
A glimmer of a chance for Auger-Aliassime, who goes ahead love-15 on Sinner’s serve after capping a 10-shot rally with a backhand volley winner. But the Italian rattles off four quick points from there, punctuating the hold with a 112mph ace.
Sinner breaks in second game of first set!
First set: *Sinner 2-0 Auger-Aliassime (*denotes next server)
The Ashe crowd swells behind Auger-Aliassime as he takes his position on the baseline to serve. They want to see a good match and they’re clearly behind the underdog. An inauspiciou start as Auger-Aliassime opens with a double fault. He then is forced into the error off the forehand side for love-30. After winning a short point to get on the board, the Canadian overheats a forehand from the baseline at the end of a 12-stroke rally for 15-40. A pair of early break-point chances for Sinner. The Italian wastes the first after blinking first in a 15-shot rally, then Auger-Aliassime erases the seconde with a 122mph ace out wide. Another unforced error from the baseline by Auger-Aliassime gives Sinner a third look at a break and this time he converts it when Auger-Aliassime sends a backhand into the netcord. A rough start for FAA, who got five first serves in including an ace but was still broken.
First set: Sinner 1-0 Auger-Aliassime* (*denotes next server)
And we’re off! Sinner, serving to start, opens with a crisp forehand winner from the middle of the court early in the point. Then an easy overhead winner set up by another powerful forehand to Auger-Aliassime’s backhand side for 30-love. Sinner follows with a backhand to the corner that a hurried Auger-Aliassime can only dump into the net. Finally, the world No 1 crunches a 121mph ace down the middle to nail down the love hold. A good start.
The players have emerged onto Ashe after their tunnel interviews. Auger-Aliassime first, then Sinner. Robust cheers for both men inside the stadium, which is half-empty but filling up fast. The players meet chair umpire Nico Helwerth of Germany at the net for the coin toss. Sinner calls heads. It’s tails and Auger-Aliassime opts to receive first. We’ll be off and running in about five minutes after the players go through their warm-up.
Could a No 1 v No 2 final be in the cards? If Sinner wins tonight, Sunday’s championship match will be only the 14th US Open men’s final in the ATP rankings era (since 1973) to feature the world’s top two players.
The rivalry has produced a string of classics already this season, and they’d be joining some storied company. The Connors-Borg clashes of the 1970s, McEnroe and Borg in the early 80s, Lendl’s duels with McEnroe and Becker, Sampras-Agassi in 1995, and more recently Djokovic’s battles with Nadal, Federer and Medvedev are the reference points.
The most recent came in 2021, when Medvedev denied Djokovic the calendar-year slam in straight sets. Before that, Djokovic beat Federer in 2015 and Nadal in 2011, while Nadal turned the tables on the Serb in 2013.
A Sinner-Alcaraz showdown would be the first time in history that all four majors in a single season have featured No 1 against No 2, underlining just how much the sport has become a two-horse race in 2025.
A couple of US Open titles have already been doled out today. Just in the last hour, Argentina’s Gustavo Fernandez and Japan’s Tokito Oda delivered an upset in the men’s wheelchair doubles final with a 6-1, 2-6, 10-6 win over top seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid of Great Britain.
Earlier Friday, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe reclaimed the women’s doubles title to back up their 2023 win in New York. The Canadian-New Zealand duo, seeded third, toppled top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 6-4, 6-4 in Friday’s final on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
For Dabrowski, the moment carried special resonance. The 33-year-old revealed late last year she had played through treatment for breast cancer in 2024, delaying surgery so she could compete at Wimbledon. After months away and battling injuries, she called the journey back to the winner’s podium a “wild ride”. “Cancer, broken ribs for both of us, it was crazy,” she said. “I’m really proud of us. It was not easy.”
Townsend, meanwhile, was one of the figures of this year’s Open. Her second-round singles match against Jelena Ostapenko erupted into controversy when the Latvian accused her of having “no class” and “no education”. Ostapenko later apologized, citing English as her second language, while Townsend said she didn’t see racist intent but recognised the phrase carried damaging stereotypes in the Black community.
On court, Townsend enjoyed her best major in years. She reached the fourth round in singles, squandering eight match points against Barbora Krejcikova, and with Siniakova was chasing a third consecutive slam doubles crown after winning in Melbourne and at Wimbledon. Along the way, they ended the popular wildcard run of Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez.
“I feel like this tournament changed my life in terms of exposure,” Townsend said. “Even Novak [Djokovic] and Jannik [Sinner] came up to me to say I’d played really well. Everyone was watching.”
For Routliffe, 30, the victory capped a year highlighted by a Wimbledon final and the WTA Finals title. She and Dabrowski split $1m in prize money, underscoring a comeback forged through resilience and partnership.
Preamble
Here we go then: the second blockbuster men’s semi-final inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, defending champion Jannik Sinner against a resurgent Félix Auger-Aliassime. The world No 1 arrives as the clear favorite and the form line is brutal: Sinner is riding a 26-match winning streak at hard-court majors and has dropped only one set all fortnight – to Denis Shapovalov in the third round – before flattening Lorenzo Musetti in straights on Wednesday. He’s chasing a fifth successive grand slam final appearance after lifting the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies this year and coming within a point of the Roland Garros crown against Carlos Alcaraz. Win tonight and the 24-year-old also ticks off a couple of milestones: a 300th career win and, at this age, the youngest in the Open era to reach all four major finals in a single season.
If the narrative sounds inevitable, Auger-Aliassime is here to muck it up. The Canadian’s last four years at the slams have been lean – six straight major entries without reaching the third round – but this run has looked and felt different. He’s rediscovered the first-strike clarity that powered him to the 2021 US Open semis, bundling out the No 3 seed Alexander Zverev and the No 15 Andrey Rublev before outlasting the No 8 Alex de Minaur in a four-set scrap that featured two tiebreaks and a lot of grit. He’s 8-0 in breakers since Cincinnati, 6-0 this week, and he’s already vaulted back towards the top 20. Only one Canadian man has ever made a major final (Milos Raonic at Wimbledon 2016); FAA can match that tonight.
Head-to-head, there’s just enough history to suggest this won’t be one-way traffic. Auger-Aliassime actually leads 2-1, one of the few active players with a winning record over Sinner, thanks to Madrid clay and Cincinnati hard-court wins back in 2022. But their most recent meeting three weeks ago was a rout: a 6-0, 6-2 rout by Sinner in the Cincy quarters, a reminder of how far the Italian’s physicality, movement and serve have come. “He’s improved a lot,” Auger-Aliassime said of Sinner. “Physicality, movement got much better, stronger physically, the serve, the forehand more precise. The backhand was always consistent, the return was always good, deep. I need to play at a high level.” No argument there.
Sinner’s own assessment of where he is right now sounded measured rather than messianic. “These are very special occasions. Finding myself again in the semis of a grand slam, it’s a great, great achievement,” he told reporters this week. “I really like playing best-of-five. I know my body a little bit better, so I’m very happy and pleased to be again in the semis.” He’s 67-1 on hard courts against opponents ranked outside the top three since the start of 2024 and 79-1 against those outside the top 20 since last year’s US Open – numbers that explain the aura.
There’s also the broader arc to consider. If Sinner advances, we get a third Sinner-Alcaraz major final of 2025 – after Paris and Wimbledon – something no men’s duo have managed in a single season in the Open era since Emerson-Stolle in 1964. It would complete an unprecedented clean sweep of No 1 v No 2 finals across all four slams and send the winner out of New York still perched on top of the rankings. If Auger-Aliassime breaks serve on the story, it’s the upset of the tournament and a landmark moment for Canadian tennis.
The official start time is listed at not before 7.22pm local time, so we should be under way in about a half hour. Alcaraz awaits waits on Sunday at 2pm. Your emails and thoughts welcome as ever. Let’s do this.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic in today’s first men’s semi-final.
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