Cincinnati Open: Sinner-Alcaraz set to deliver yet another high-octane clash

Cincinnati [US], August 18 (ANI): Within a space of three months, rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be facing each other in a final, in the championship title clash of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday.
The duo's red-hot, high-paced and electrifying gameplay has already produced undeniable masterclasses at Rome, French Open and Wimbledon this year. On Tuesday, another chapter of this modern tennis' great ongoing rivalries will be written.
The world number one Sinner and world number two Alcaraz have been in sensational form throughout the tournament, with the defending champion yet to drop a set en route to his eighth ATP Masters 1000 final and enters the title clash with a 26-match win streak on grass courts. In the semifinal clash, he ended Terence Atmane, a French qualifier's dream run, with the latter having defeated big stars like Taylor Fritz and Holger Rune on the way to his semifinal clash.
Ahead of the match, Sinner said as quoted by the ATP website, "It is going to be a very, very difficult match, but hopefully it is going to be, in any case, a good match. Hopefully, it is a very high-level match. That is what for us players is important, but also for the people who are watching. We will see what kind of fun is going to happen on Monday."
Alcaraz has dropped two sets en route to the coveted title clash, but the Spanish sensation has had faced a much tougher path, having held Andrey Rublev, the ninth seed in the quarters before defeating Alexander Zverev in the semis. The seven-time ATP Masters 1000 champion is chasing his tour-leading sixth title of 2025, which also includes the French Open.
"I am excited about it. It's going to be great. He won the last one, I won the first two finals, so I think it is going to be really interesting. It is the first final between us this year on a hard court, so I am excited about taking that challenge," said Alcaraz.
"I know that Jannik, without a doubt, is the best player in the world on hard courts and probably on every surface right now, so it is going to be a great match and I have to be ready for that," he added.
After losing the French Open from a winning position in an all-time classic, Sinner took the upper hand in the rivalry, clinching the Wimbledon title and improving his head-to-head record against Alcaraz to five wins and eight losses.
Alcaraz said that "not having any weaknesses" makes Sinner a tough opponent.
"It is crazy, the way he always plays at his best. It seems like you have to earn every point every game. He makes you suffer from the first point of the match until the last ball. The capacity of being there mentally, point after point, not having up and downs on the match makes him really, really special," he added.
Both Sinner and Alcaraz have booked their spots in the season-concluding ATP Finals, but the latter is 1,540 points clear of his rival in the ATP Live Race to Turin Rankings. Sinner has a chance to cut into Alcaraz's lead here as they are chasing the honour of ending with the ATP year-end number one honours. If Sinner wins, he will improve his season record to 27 wins and three losses and trail Alcaraz by just 1,190 points heading into the US Open.
Alcaraz also possesses a fine season record of 53 wins and six losses this year and could extend his lead in ATP Live Race to Turin by beating Sinner to secure his first Cincinnati crown. It could also help him put the past behind him, when he held the championship point in the 2023 final, but lost to Novak Djokovic in a classic encounter at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. (ANI)