Jannik Sinner brushed off any injury concerns ahead of his US Open final showdown against Carlos Alcaraz after battling to victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.
Sinner felt “a small twitching” in his stomach during the second set and took a medical timeout after Auger-Aliassime levelled the match, with the World No 1 pointing to his abdomen and heading off the court for treatment.
The 24-year-old jogged back onto the court following the timeout and steadied the ship as his usual serve and forehand speed returned, before navigating some difficult moments against Auger-Aliassime to win in four.
Defending champion Sinner let out a sight of relief after winning match point to return to the US Open final, setting a third consecutive grand slam final between the Italian and his rival Alcaraz on Sunday.
“Nothing too bad,” Sinner said when asked about the timeout. “It’s nothing serious. I’m very happy. There are no excuses. Sunday is a very special day, amazing final again. Let’s see what’s coming.”
“I just felt a small twitching after a serve when I served there in the second set on 4-3,” Sinner said later. “After the treatment, was feeling much, much better. At some point I didn’t feel anything anymore. I was serving back to normal pace, so it was all good. Nothing to worry about.”
Alcaraz and Sinner are the first two players to meet in three consecutive grand slam finals in the same year in the Open era, having battled at the French Open final and the Wimbledon final this summer.
The World No 1 ranking will also be on the line, while Alcaraz and Sinner will meet at the US Open for the first time since a memorable fourth-round clash in 2022 that the Spaniard won over five sets.
“I feel like our rivalry started here,” Sinner said. “We are two different players now. Different confidence too. Let’s see what’s coming. We’ve played quite a lot this year. We know each other very well. Let’s see who’s preparing in the best possible way.
“But in any case it has been an amazing tournament again. An amazing feeling to come here on more time to play in front of you guys. I’m looking forward to it.”
Sinner is the defending US Open champion and has now won 27 matches in a row at the hard-court grand slams. The Italian defeated Alcaraz in four sets at Wimbledon to win his fourth grand slam title.
Alcaraz is out for revenge and will be looking to win his second US Open title. The Spaniard saved three match points to beat Sinner in five sets in the French Open final and will regain the World No 1 ranking if he wins his sixth grand slam title on Sunday.
Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals on Friday. Sinner can become the first man since Roger Federer won five in a row between 2004 and 2008 to defend the US Open.
President Donald Trump is also set to attend the final, marking his return to the US Open for the first time in a decade.
