Carlos Alcaraz added a consequential line to his career record at the US Open, defeating Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to capture the title and reach a new landmark. At 22, Alcaraz is now the youngest man in history to win multiple Grand Slam titles on hard courts, clay and grass.

The Spaniard’s resume now includes two Wimbledon trophies on grass (2023 and 2024), two Roland Garros titles on clay (2024 and 2025) and two US Open victories on hard courts (2022 and 2025). With his Roland Garros triumph last year as a 21-year-old, he became the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces. The US Open win takes that achievement a step further: he is the youngest to have multiple majors on each surface.

Alcaraz joins an exclusive group as only the fourth man to finish with multiple Grand Slam titles on every surface, following Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The comparison underlines the breadth of his success across different conditions and formats.

Historical context highlights how surfaces have evolved in the sport. The US Open switched to hard courts beginning in 1978, and the Australian Open moved to hard courts in 1988. Those shifts help explain how modern players build diversified major records across surfaces.

The final at the US Open also marked another milestone in Alcaraz’s tally of majors. He won his first Grand Slam title on hard courts and, with this victory, has now won his sixth major on hard courts as well. Alcaraz won the first and now the sixth Grand Slam title of his career on hard courts, at the US Open.

His victory over Sinner closed another chapter in a rapid run of major success and underscored how quickly Alcaraz has moved from promising talent to a player whose achievements are already being measured alongside some of the game’s all-time greats.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner arrive at the US Open final with more than a title at stake. Beyond the Grand Slam crown, the winner will vault past the $50m career prize-money mark and become only the sixth player in history to do so.

Prize money on the ATP Tour has climbed rapidly in recent years, and the US Open has led the increases this season. The tournament has boosted payouts across the board: the men’s and women’s singles runner-up prizes rose by 39% and beaten finalists are scheduled to receive $2.5m. The champion’s cheque of roughly $5m will push either Alcaraz or Sinner over the $50m threshold.

That potential milestone comes as the two highest-ranked players on the men’s side continue a dominant run. Between them they have claimed the last seven Grand Slam singles titles. The current leaders on the all-time prize-money list remain Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, with Andy Murray in fourth, but Alcaraz and Sinner are closing in fast.

Alcaraz has been candid about his priorities. “I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I don’t think about the money,” said Alcaraz.

“I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and that’s it.

“The money in Saudi Arabia is the most, highest prize money ever in history, so that was a good motivation, at least for me.”

Off-court, Alcaraz’s earnings are supplemented by a string of long-standing sponsors including Nike, Rolex, BMW, Babolat, Calvin Klein, Evian and Louis Vuitton. Sinner also benefits from lucrative agreements with Nike, Gucci, Rolex, Lavazza and Head. The draft notes that Sinner served a three-month ban earlier this year after a positive drug test; his commercial deals were not affected.

Whoever lifts the trophy in New York will move up the historical earnings rankings and underline how rapidly prize-money benchmarks are changing in men’s tennis.

All-time prize money winners

1. Novak Djokovic, $188,934,053

2. Rafael Nadal $134,946,100

3. Roger Federer $130,594

4. Andy Murray $64,687,542

5. Alexander Zverev $54,455,659

6. Carlos Alcaraz $48,486,628

7. Daniil Medvedev $46,936,309

8. Jannik Sinner $46,279,987

9. Pete Sampras $43,280,489

10. Stan Wawrinka $37,634,708

The US Open final brings the matchup many expected before the tournament began: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz meeting for Grand Slam honours. It is the third consecutive major final between the two this season and the first time in the Open Era that the same pair have contested three major finals in a single season. The winner will extend an eight-event stretch in which every Grand Slam has been won by either Sinner or Alcaraz, leaving them three tournaments short of the Federer-Nadal duopoly record.

Beyond the title, the match is a straight shootout for the world No 1 ranking. Sinner, the defending champion, bids to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to defend the US Open. Alcaraz aims to reclaim the trophy he first won in 2022.

Twelve months earlier their US Open fortunes were sharply different. Defying the then-emerging controversy of his failed drug tests from earlier in 2024, world No 1 Sinner stormed to his second major title and his first US Open, collecting 2,000 ranking points. Alcaraz, fresh from winning Wimbledon and the French Open that summer, was stunned in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp and earned 50 points.

Alcaraz closed the gap on Sinner’s lead at the ATP 1000 event this summer, lifting the title after the Italian retired with illness in the final. That result moved Alcaraz to within 2,000 points of Sinner heading into the US Open and gave him a clear path back to No 1.

Accounting for points to defend from 2024, Alcaraz’s official total of 9,590 fell only to 9,550 once round-one points were guaranteed, while Sinner’s official 11,480 dropped to a live total of 9,490 after removing 1,990. A Sinner victory would leave him on 11,480 with Alcaraz on 10,840. An Alcaraz win would flip the positions: Alcaraz to 11,540 and Sinner to 10,780.

Sinner first reached No 1 in June 2024, replacing Novak Djokovic, and has not relinquished the spot since, accumulating 65 weeks at the top. Alcaraz has spent 36 weeks as world No 1, across four separate spells, and has not held the ranking since September 2023.