Winners of the tournament
Carlos Alcaraz captured his second US Open crown and sixth Grand Slam title on Sunday evening with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over rival Jannik Sinner, putting the seal on a stunning fortnight in New York.
The shaven-headed Spaniard - who returns to world number one for the first time since September 2023 - was in blistering form throughout the tournament, dropping just a single set and only losing serve three times across his seven matches.
Alcaraz admitted that it was his best-ever performance at a major: "The consistency of my level during the whole tournament has been really high, which I'm really proud of.”
Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero described his display against Sinner as "a perfect performance", with the 22-year-old combining his incredible shotmaking and usual flamboyant style with remarkable power and precision behind the serve.
Alcaraz was effectively able to neutralise Sinner’s dangerous return for large spells of the contest, winning 83% of first-serve points while hitting 10 aces to zero double faults.
A potent, reliable serve adds yet another weapon to Alcaraz’s already frightening arsenal, with the Spaniard claiming his seventh title of the year while improving his recent record to just one defeat in 38 matches.
He and Sinner have certainly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack over the last couple of years, and with a 10-5 winning record over the Italian, Alcaraz looks in great shape to complete the career slam in early 2026 at the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, on the WTA side of the tournament, Aryna Sabalenka became the first woman to successfully defend the US Open singles title since Serena Williams in 2014, after a clinical 6-3, 7-6(3) triumph over Amanda Anisimova in the showpiece event.
The Belarusian’s power from the baseline and efficient all-round game proved too strong for the American, as Sabalenka claimed her fourth Grand Slam crown - all of which have come on a hard court.
It was fitting that Sabalenka clinched the title via a tie-break, with the 27-year-old winning her 19th consecutive breaker - a formidable record that’s unrivalled by any woman in the Open Era.
While the Belarusian has topped the rankings all season long, she hasn’t quite been able to get over the line at the majors, suffering painful defeats in the Australian Open and French Open finals, as well as a gut-wrenching Wimbledon semi-final loss to Anisimova.
However, she silenced her doubters with a composed and largely disciplined performance in Saturday's US Open showpiece, underlining her greatness on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"This one felt different. It felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get it," said Sabalenka in her victory news conference.
"I knew that (because of) the hard work we put in, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season."
Strugglers of the tournament
The inconsistent form of Holger Rune shows no signs of slowing down, with the Dane suffering a shock second-round exit at the hands of Jan-Lennard Struff in New York.
After rising through the ranks with Alcaraz and Sinner and being tipped to be a major force in the sport, Rune’s progress has stalled in recent years, with him last reaching a Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon in 2023.
There’s still plenty of time for Rune to piece it all together given he’s only 22, but his game certainly needs a major revamp in 2026 if he’s to re-establish himself as a consistent top 10 player.
Elsewhere, in the men’s draw, there were also disappointing early exits for Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev (more about him later).
On the women’s side of the tournament, it was a chastening first-round exit for sixth seed and home favourite Madison Keys, who lost 7-6(10), 6-7(3), 5-7 to Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.
Having performed well in Montreal and Cincinnati, Keys was seen as a strong contender for the title, but a staggering 89 unforced errors across the three-hour contest ultimately proved fatal to her chances.
The reigning Australian Open champion will be determined to bounce back in the coming weeks as she looks to secure her place at the season-ending WTA Finals for just the second time in her career.
Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic and Jelena Ostapenko all failed to progress beyond the second round, while Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini were notable absentees from the fourth-round lineup.
Moment of the tournament
Medvedev has endured a nightmare year at the majors, registering just a single victory in Melbourne, followed by three consecutive first-round defeats.
The Russian’s misery was compounded in New York, as despite recovering from two sets down, he ultimately succumbed to Benjamin Bonzi in a chaotic 3-6, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-0, 4-6 loss.
Medvedev had looked to be going out with a whimper when facing match point at 5-4 in the third set, but an unexpected interruption from a photographer running onto the court sparked wild scenes on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Russian fumed after umpire Greg Allensworth awarded Bonzi another first serve because of the disturbance, whipping the crowd into a frenzy and forcing a six-minute delay to proceedings.
Medvedev’s extraordinary meltdown unsettled Bonzi, who was unable to convert the match point, and that acted as a catalyst for the former US Open champion to mount a courageous comeback.
However, Bonzi managed to recompose himself for the decider, and the Frenchman held his nerve in the fervent atmosphere to secure a second consecutive Grand Slam victory over Medvedev following his four-set win at Wimbledon earlier in the summer.
Rallies of the tournament
Tommy Paul battled to a marathon five-set win over Nuno Borges in the second round, and what a match point to secure the victory!
Even by Alcaraz's lofty standards, this behind-the-back shot against Arthur Rinderknech was pretty special...
Upcoming events
It’s a relatively quiet week of tennis ahead, with WTA tournaments in Guadalajara and Sao Paulo taking place, as well as Davis Cup action over the weekend.
Belgium’s Elise Mertens is the top seed at the 500 event in Mexico, while home favourite Beatriz Haddad Maia and Alexandra Eala are among the standout names in Brazil.
Find all the information you need for Guadalajara, Sao Paulo and the Davis Cup via the links.
