Alcaraz vs Sinner: the new rivalry that is taking over the US Open and paralyzing the tennis world

New York had its gala evening this Wednesday. In a duel where two youngsters showed their best version and made it clear that the future of tennis is in good hands, the last grand slam of the season came to a head. It’s hard to think that between today and Sunday another match will have the same components as those seen yesterday in Alcaraz against Sinner.

And it is that the battle between the two best young players on the circuit has been a delight. VSinco sets, film points and many tense moments were the main condiments of a clash that lasted five hours and 15 minutes, becoming the second longest match in tournament history . Despite the fact that they could not overcome the 5 hours and 26 minutes of Edberg and Chang in 1992, it was enough to overtake the Massú against Sargsian (5 hours and 9 minutes) of 2004.

In addition, being disputed in the last lap of the night session meant that the game will end at 2:50 a.m. on Thursday , being the match that ended later in the event’s history. But neither time nor lack of sleep has diminished the emotions of a meeting which marks the high point (until now, because it has only just begun) of the rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, the two players called up to mark the new generation of tennis.

The Italian is 21 (he shot them in August) and already has five ATP 250 titles and one ATP 500 , made last season in Washington. He also played in the Miami Masters 1000 final in 2021 and since this Monday he will be the 11th best player on the planet less than 150 points out of the top ten.

Alcaraz for his part is a familiar face even to those who are not tennis fans. His outburst captivated the sports world and his youthful face began to become increasingly popular. At 19, he is the current four in the world and he is two wins (maybe one) away from becoming the youngest player to become world number one . He already has five ATP titles, among them the Masters 1000 in Miami and Madrid, in addition to the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona.

The prices of both, added to the fact that both won the Next Gen ATP Finals (Sinner in 2019 and Alcaraz in 2021), suggests that they are the chosen ones to take control of the circuit in the coming seasons. Most likely, not to the level of hegemony reached by Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, but to the point that at the end of their careers they are bathed in gold.

An excitement that is also shared by the protagonists of this sport. And it is that when the game was played and the New York dawn lived its stellar moment, many were those who did not resist and dedicated a few words to the duel of the present and the future.

One of the first to publish on the subject was Feliciano López, Spanish tennis player and director of the Masters 1000 in Madrid. Live from New York, he tweeted his feelings about the match, especially highlighting the most impressive point of the match: Alcaraz ran for a ball to his right, but Sinner’s shot let him pass. Since he didn’t have time to stop, the Murcian chose to hit from the baseline with the racquet across his back. “I have never seen this shot in all my life. “, he wrote in the networks. He also likened the match to a table tennis duel, due to the speed at which the ball hit each side of the court.

Other tennis players who tweeted about the subject were Stan Wawrinka and Coco Gauff. As the Swiss celebrated the high level of the match, the young American told the world about her dilemma during the night: “This game is crazy. I leave at 6am for the airport but I refuse to sleep and I miss it ”.

In the end the duel was 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5 and 6-3 for Alcaraz, who managed to tie the head-to-head (2-2) against the Italian and get revenge for the two consecutive defeats he suffered against Sinner in the last half. First in the round of 16 at Wimbledon and a few weeks later in the ATP 250 final at Umag.