Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the 2025 US Open men’s final with a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2, on Arthur Ashe Stadium Friday. The result came after two hours and 23 minutes of high-quality, pressure tennis.

Alcaraz broke early to take the first set and maintained the edge through fast, aggressive serving and forehand depth. Djokovic pushed back in the second, racing to a 3-0 lead before an errant backhand surrendered the break and the set eventually moved to a tiebreak. Alcaraz secured the opening mini-break in the breaker, led 4-2 at the first change of ends and closed the set when Djokovic miscued a return.

The third set opened disastrously for Djokovic, who committed two double faults in a service game that left him two sets and a break down. Alcaraz consolidated with strong serving and penetrating groundstrokes, moving to a 4-1 lead and later holding for 5-1. Djokovic briefly threatened a late rally, but a double fault on his serve handed Alcaraz two match points. A final serve-and-volley attempt from Djokovic ended with a volley wide and Alcaraz completed the win in just under two and a half hours.

The match added another chapter to a short but intense rivalry. The pair have met eight times across Masters, Grand Slam and Olympic events and Djokovic leads their head-to-head, 5-3. Djokovic had won their last two encounters at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and in Melbourne earlier in the year.

Djokovic, who has spent a record 428 weeks as world No. 1, returned to competition at the US Open after Wimbledon and reached the quarters by defeating Taylor Fritz in that round. Alcaraz arrived in Flushing Meadows having won his first Cincinnati Open title and reached the semifinals at the US Open without dropping a set. His composed performance on Arthur Ashe sends him through to the championship match while Djokovic’s run at major semifinals this season ended once more.

Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe secured the US Open women’s doubles title, beating top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-4 in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Seeded third, Dabrowski and Routliffe celebrated a second triumph at Flushing Meadows in three years.

The victory was Dabrowski’s first major since undergoing treatment for breast cancer. She and Routliffe embraced after the match, a moment that followed Dabrowski delaying part of that treatment so she could compete at Wimbledon last year, where the pair reached the final.

Townsend and Siniakova had been looking to add a US Open title after winning Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open in January. Townsend emerged as one of the tournament’s most talked-about figures after a post-match altercation early in singles play she said she wishes never happened. According to Townsend, Latvian opponent Jelena Ostapenko told her she had “no class” and “no education,” an interaction that prompted discussion about whether the comments had racial undertones.

Townsend said she didn’t take it that way, acknowledging, “That has been a stigma in our community of being ‘not educated’ and all of the things, when it’s the furthest thing from the truth.” Her online following grew, she said she received support from fellow players, and Ostapenko ultimately apologized on social media, citing English not being her first language for what she thought to mean tennis etiquette.

In singles, Townsend reached the fourth round before losing to Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday when she failed to convert eight match points. It would have been Townsend’s first solo quarterfinal appearance at a major.

In doubles, Townsend and Siniakova reached their fifth Grand Slam final as a team. Along the way they eliminated Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez, ending a widely noticed wild-card run. Williams, returning to competition at age 45, and Fernandez drew large crowds at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Both Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova recovered from setbacks to reach the US Open final, turning late-tournament pressure into momentum. Each trailed by a set in their semifinals before rallying to win. Sabalenka overturned an energized Jessica Pegula, prevailing 6-4 in the third. Anisimova erased Naomi Osaka, herself 8-0 in Grand Slam semifinals and finals, taking the decider 6-3.

Both players arrived at the title match carrying tough Grand Slam memories this year. Sabalenka lost in the French Open final to Coco Gauff, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, while Anisimova fell in the Wimbledon final to Iga Swiatek, 6-0, 6-0. Yet neither wilted in their semis. “I think I handled that pressure really well,” Sabalenka said. “I’m super proud of this win.” “I tried to dig deep and find my game,” Anisimova said. “I feel like throughout the match I was able to find it more and more, and the most important thing was that I kept fighting.”

This final is their third meeting of the season. At Roland Garros, Sabalenka won 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round. At Wimbledon, Anisimova won a tight semifinal, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. That Wimbledon victory pushed Anisimova’s career record versus the world No. 1 to 6-3.

Both players are heavy hitters. Anisimova struck 50 winners in her match with Osaka; Sabalenka produced 43 winners against Pegula. Shot-making gives either player a clear path to the title; their rallies are likely to be brisk and decisive, and momentum may shift frequently.

Anisimova noted the back-and-forth nature of their matches. “We’ve had very, very tough matches,” Anisimova says. “A lot of them have actually been at Grand Slams, too. But I think the standout one was probably Wimbledon. It was really a seesaw match, which is almost always the case when I play her.” Sabalenka plans to be more aggressive than she was at Wimbledon. “I think I have to trust myself, and I have to go after my shots,” she says. “I felt like in that match at Wimby, I was doubting a lot my decisions, and that was the main thing that was bringing a lot of unforced errors.”

Each will face a specific mental test on final day: Sabalenka with the crowd dynamics, Anisimova with the belief that she can capture a major. The title will likely hinge on which player manages those moments best.