Arguably the biggest rivalry in tennis will write its next chapter on Monday (August 18), as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will take each other on in the Cincinnati Open final.
The world's top-two ranked players on the ATP Tour have won nine Grand Slam titles and 41 overall tournaments between them in their respective careers so far.
Monday's meeting will be the 14th time the two stars meet on the court, as the pair continue to usher in a new era of exciting and high-level tennis in the men's game.
The upcoming contest may serve as an indicator as to who will be the favourite at the upcoming US Open and year-end ATP Finals.
Sinner (1) booked his place in the Cincinnati final with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 win over the unseeded Terence Atmane, while Carlos Alcaraz (2) came through 6-4 6-3 against Alexander Zverev (3).
Sinner's semi-final victory saw him keep up his impressive record of not dropping a set at the tournament. As for Alcaraz it was a second win in succession against top 10 seeded players, as he came through Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
JANNIK SINNER. CARLOS ALCARAZ.
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 17, 2025
Ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat 🎭@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/tbSSztiWps
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Sinner and Alcaraz 2025 head-to-head
Out of the 13 matches Sinner and Alcaraz have played against one another, three have come this year, and all have included silverware being on the line.
Rome ATP Masters 1000 final - May 2025: Alcaraz (W) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1
After meeting at the China Open final last October, Sinner and Alcaraz met for the first time in 2025 at the Italian Open.
The tournament was Sinner's first since serving a three-month ban from competing after alleged accidental use of clostebol. The Italian tested positive twice for the banned substance in 2024.
Alcaraz was to win the first meeting of the year between the two as he battled through a first-set tiebreak, before dominating proceedings in the following set.
The Spaniard's victory was his first title in Rome and ended Sinner's 26-match winning streak, while it also prevented his rival from a perfect comeback to competitive tennis in his home country.
Roland Garros final - June 2025: Alcaraz (W) 4-6 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (10-2)
The first meeting at a Grand Slam event between the two superstars this year came at this year's French Open final.
The contest would go on to be lauded as one of the greatest in recent memory among those in the tennis world as both players left everything out on the court.
After being down two sets to one, Alcaraz produced some of the most clutch tennis of his career as he fought off three championship points on serve to stay in the contest.
Alcaraz managed to miraculously level the contest after coming out on top in the fourth-set tiebreak, before displaying his quality once again in the fifth-set tiebreaker to successfully defend his title.
The match clocked in at just under five-and-a-half hours, becoming the second longest Grand Slam final in history.
The manner of the defeat was a devastating blow for Sinner as he came mightily close to winning a first Roland Garros title. Alcaraz appeared to be dominating the rivalry as this point as it was his fifth successive win against Sinner.
Wimbledon final - July 2025: Sinner (W) 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4
Sinner and Alcaraz met just weeks after their incredible battle in Paris as they both made it to the 2025 Wimbledon final.
The previous meeting between the two at SW19 came in 2022, with the Italian triumphing in a Round of 16 clash.
Alcaraz got off to an early lead over Sinner as he took the first set of this year's final and looked to be on his way to a third successive Wimbledon title.
However, the Italian demonstrated more control and timing with his shots on as he increased his levels significantly over the next three sets while Alcaraz faded.
There was to be no sensational comeback on Alcaraz' end this time as Sinner rode the momentum and eventually secured his first Wimbledon title. The win meant it was the first of the world no. 1's four Grand Slam triumphs to not be on the hard court surface.
Additionally, the win was vital for Sinner's confidence after his tough defeat to Alcaraz at Roland Garros and it ensured the rivalry between the pair was prevented from becoming one-sided.
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