Aryna Sabalenka defended her US Open crown with a composed 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over Amanda Anisimova, converting frustration into resolution after a season of near-misses. The world number one leaned into emotional control and steady aggression, producing a fourth major singles title and becoming the first woman to defend the US Open since Serena Williams’ 2012-14 run.

“Going into this final I decided for myself that I’m going to control my emotions,” she said after the final. “I’m not going to let them take control over me, and doesn’t matter what happens in the match.” Sabalenka’s improved defensive retrievals paired with her usual force helped her neutralize Anisimova’s power.

Anisimova’s comeback to elite contention remains one of the tournament’s main stories. Just over two years removed from stepping away from tennis to take college classes, she reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals. Her path included a quarterfinal win over Iga Swiatek and a dramatic semifinal comeback versus Naomi Osaka. “I’ve tried to turn everything around for myself,” said after the final. “Obviously today was better than my last final, but yeah, again, today was a really tough match.”

Osaka produced her strongest week since 2021, reaching the semifinals after a Labor Day round of 16 win over Coco Gauff. Greatly aided by her new coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, Osaka combined power with perspective. “Oh, my God, the most devastating question. . . Honestly, I’m fine losing, but don’t ask me about this Labubu, man.”

Jessica Pegula reached the semis without dropping a set, beating Victoria Azarenka and Barbora Krejcikova before succumbing to Sabalenka. “Considering where my summer started and how it was going, how it was trending, I’m happy to walk away with putting in the effort that I was able to put in tonight against, you know, the best player in the world right now.”

The draw showcased depth and variety: Czech players Marketa Vondrousova, Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Muchova all reached the quarters, Krejcikova saved eight match points to advance earlier and Vondrousova later withdrew with a knee injury. Taylor Townsend, ranked 139, produced two signature wins and pushed Krejcikova to eight match points in the round of 16. “So I have everything that I need, and, you know, it’s just about now just keep getting the reps, keep putting myself in these types of positions,” Townsend said following that match. “This hurts, but it’s part of competition, it’s part of sports, but I’m right where I need to be.”

Jannik Sinner conceded a central weakness after his US Open final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, admitting elements of his game are predictable and will require change. The admission echoed advice Novak Djokovic offered earlier through Darren Cahill after their Wimbledon meeting, a conversation Cahill described in detail on the Served podcast.

“One of the players that I tapped on the shoulder — he (Sinner) lost to Novak a couple of years ago at Wimbledon in five sets. Won the first two sets, Novak came back and ran away with it,” explained the Australian, in an appearance on the Served podcast.

“Novak got used to his ball, got used to the shape, got used to the pace and then just locked in, like Novak does, and doesn’t miss. And won the last three sets reasonably easily.

“And I saw Novak, and he’s always great with this, he’s always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder. And I said, ‘Hey listen, I’ve just started with Jannik, don’t tell me anything you don’t want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?’ And he was incredible.

“He basically said, ‘Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there’s no variation. So you know, there’s no shape on his shot. There’s no height over the net. Doesn’t come to the net. He’s not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he’s not attacking my serve on the return of serve.

“So he went through his whole game and broke it down. It wasn’t like it was revelations to what we didn’t know about Jannik and what we were trying to change in his game.

“But when you take that conversation and sit down with a young man like Jannik Sinner and say,’ Hey, listen, I just spoke to Novak and this is what he thinks’, that leaves a big impression on a young player. So for Jannik it’s: ‘Right, give it to me. Let’s start doing these changes’.”

Cahill says those changes produced notable gains: Sinner and his team went on to win four Grand Slam titles and Sinner rose to No 1 in the ATP Rankings. Yet the US Open final loss to Alcaraz suggested the rivalry has shifted, with Alcaraz now the target Sinner must chase after improving following his own defeat to Sinner at Wimbledon.

Sinner did not shy from assessment after the match. “I was very predictable today,” conceded Sinner. “He did many things, he changed up the game. That’s also his style of how he plays now it’s gonna be on me if I want to make changes or not, you know, so that’s definitely, we are gonna work on that. Trying to be more prepared for the next match, what I will play against him.

“It also, I feel like, depends how you arrive to play against Carlos. You know, one thing is when the scoreline matches before it’s comfortable. But you always do the same things, you know, like I did, for example, during this tournament.

“I didn’t make one volley, you know, I didn’t use a lot of drop shots. And then you arrive to a point where you play against Carlos when, where you have to go out of the comfort zone so I’m gonna aim to, you know, maybe even losing some matches from now on, but trying to do some changes, trying to be a bit more unpredictable as a player and because I think that’s what I have to do, trying to become a better tennis player.”

Sinner also hinted at the need to improve net play and add consistency to his first serve. He remained composed after the loss but acknowledged that only an upgraded all-court game will close the gap with his chief rival.

Winning a Grand Slam singles title remains the pinnacle of the men’s game, and at present only six active ATP players have reached that summit. This article profiles the exclusive group who have lifted a major.

Novak Djokovic is the clear leader with 24 major titles. His run began at the 2008 Australian Open and his 24th and most recent Slam came at the 2023 US Open. Djokovic’s best results have been at the Australian Open, where he holds a record 10 titles, and at Wimbledon, where he has won seven times. He is the only man to have won all four majors on at least three separate occasions. Following Nadal’s retirement, Djokovic’s total places him well clear of the rest of the field.

Carlos Alcaraz has already established himself among the elite despite being only 22. He won his first major at the US Open in 2022 at the age of 19, then captured Wimbledon in 2023. In 2024 he claimed his first Roland Garros title and successfully defended his Wimbledon crown. He added further French Open and US Open victories in 2025. Alcaraz sits second among active ATP players for Slam totals and will look to complete the Career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open.

Italian ace Sinner is a four-time major champion. He became the first Italian, male or female, to win the Australian Open in 2024 and later that year became the first man from his country to lift the US Open title. The 24-year-old doubled his Grand Slam collection in 2025 by defending the Australian Open and winning his first Wimbledon. He will target a Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2026.

Former world No 3 Wawrinka won three majors: the Australian Open in 2014, Roland Garros in 2015 and the US Open in 2016.

Medvedev has one major, the US Open, which he won in 2021 by beating Djokovic in straight sets and denying Djokovic a Calendar Grand Slam. The 28-year-old was runner-up at the US Open in 2019 and 2023 and is a three-time finalist at the Australian Open.

Cilic’s crowning moment came at the 2014 US Open, where he beat Kei Nishikori in the final after defeating Roger Federer in the last rounds. A decade later he became the lowest-ranked player in history to win an ATP Tour title in 2024.