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Composure and power: what Navratilova and Robson saw in Sabalenka’s US Open defence

Sabalenka used composure and power to retain the US Open; Navratilova and Robson praised her widely.

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Aryna Sabalenka retained the US Open title with a straight-sets victory over Amanda Anisimova, a win that carried both a record prize and the weight of earlier near-misses. Sabalenka collected a record-breaking $5m as champion, while Anisimova earned $2.5m after suffering a second successive Grand Slam final defeat following her Wimbledon loss in July.

The final finished 6-3, 7-6 and featured frequent swings of momentum. Sabalenka had fallen short at the Australian Open and French Open finals earlier in the season and had been beaten by Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-finals, but she converted those near misses into a successful title defence in New York.

Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova highlighted two defining qualities on display. “For a match that was 6-3, 7-6, there were a lot of momentum changes within the match,” said Navratilova. “Aryna Sabalenka showed just what a champion she is, because she had a lot of pressure on her – she lost finals at the Australian Open and French Open. “Amanda Anisimova has got to keep her head up high. She held her own here today and is now in the conversation at all of the majors. “Sabalenka just had a little bit more firepower and composure. Feeling the pressure, she did not falter. She held her nerve brilliantly in the tiebreaker.”

Former British No 1 Laura Robson, observing courtside, underlined Sabalenka’s ability to regroup after being broken when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. “Sitting courtside, it was so fun for me to see Sabalenka regroup when things could have taken a turn in the second set,” said Robson. “She played a blinder of a tiebreak, gave nothing away. “Everything that has happened this year – especially the Roland Garros final, where she mentally let herself down in that match [against Coco Gauff] – it has been something that everyone has reminded her of since then. “Under pressure today, everything on the line, and with the crowd against you, she barely put a foot wrong in that breaker. “That’s the mentality we’ve come to know from Sabalenka, and we saw it in the semi-final as well.”

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Robson also voiced sympathy for Anisimova after the loss. “It’s so tough when you see someone breaking down at the same time as someone celebrating,” added Robson. “I’m just in front of Anisimova’s box right now, and they just look so disappointed for her. “They’re trying to get her attention and give her some support but there’s a lot of dejected looks on their faces. “You thought the tide was maybe turning in that second set, Anisimova had more chances as the match went on – which considering how things were going half an hour in, we didn’t expect. “Anisimova has to give herself so much credit for getting stuck in and trying everything.”

Analytics & Stats ATP Finals

Race to Turin Tightens: Alcaraz Leading as Field Narrows

Alcaraz leads Race to Turin after US Open; Djokovic, Zverev and Auger-Aliassime contend. strong duel.

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the only players who have secured places at the ATP Finals in Turin. Alcaraz qualified on July 8 after finishing runner-up at Wimbledon and Sinner clinched his spot on August 8. Alcaraz holds a commanding 2,590-point lead over Sinner following his US Open title run, making him the clear favourite to claim top-seed status.

With the Race to Turin cutoff sitting at 5,395 points, six places remain open. Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are closing in and each need another 1,215 points to qualify. It remains to be seen if Djokovic will play should he qualify as he opted to skip the ATP Finals last year despite being the defending champion.

Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti currently occupy the other spots inside the top eight. Those ranked ninth and 10th after the regular ATP Tour season will travel to Italy as alternates. Jack Draper slipped out of the top eight after withdrawing from the US Open due to injury.

Felix Auger-Aliassime has moved up eight places to No 10 following his run to the US Open semi-final. He sits 365 points behind Musetti in eighth and is within reach alongside Shelton, Fritz and de Minaur.

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Two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments remain before the Finals, with the Shanghai Masters next on the calendar and the Paris Masters at the end of October. Contenders can also earn significant points at ATP 500 events, notably the China Open, Japan Open, Swiss Indoors and Vienna Open.

Current Race to Turin standings (selected): 1. Carlos Alcaraz 10,540 points 2. Jannik Sinner 7,950 3. Novak Djokovic 4,180 (+2) 4. Alexander Zverev 4,180 (-1) 5. Ben Shelton 3,710 (-1) 6. Taylor Fritz 3,465 7. Alex de Minaur 3,145 (+1) 8. Lorenzo Musetti 3,070 (+1)

Also in contention: 9. Jack Draper 2,990 (-2) 10. Felix Auger-Aliassime 2,705 (+8) 11. Andrey Rublev 2,410 12. Casper Ruud 2,285 (-2) 13. Karen Khachanov 2,210 (-1) 14. Holger Rune 2,190 (-1) 15. Alexander Bublik 2,145 (+2).

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Analytics & Stats ATP

Alcaraz Reclaims No 1 After US Open Triumph as Rankings Shake Up

Alcaraz returns to world No 1 after US Open win; Sinner drops to No 2, major ranking shifts. Today.

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Carlos Alcaraz returned to the summit of the ATP Rankings after his victory over Jannik Sinner in the US Open final, a result that produced a notable reshuffle through the top 100. In a winner-takes-all match at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz defeated the defending champion and reigning No 1 Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to claim his sixth Grand Slam and move back to world No 1 for the first time since September 2023.

Alcaraz started his fifth spell as No 1 on Monday, taking his total weeks at the top to 37. Sinner fell to No 2 after 65 consecutive weeks leading the rankings. Alcaraz sits 15th on the all-time list for weeks at No 1 while Sinner is 12th. The Spaniard leads Sinner by 760 points and holds a clear advantage in the points he must defend for the rest of the year: Alcaraz will drop only 1,000 points, while Sinner faces 2,830 to defend after winning the Shanghai Masters and the ATP Finals last year.

Alexander Zverev remains third but trails Sinner by 4,850 points. Novak Djokovic rose three places to No 4 after reaching the semi-final in New York, with a slender 155-point gap separating him from Taylor Fritz in fifth. Jack Draper slipped two places after withdrawing from the US Open following his first-round win. Lorenzo Musetti rose one place to No 9 after reaching the quarter-finals.

Felix Auger-Aliassime climbed 14 spots to No 13 following his semi-final run, one place ahead of Jiri Lehecka (+5). Alexander Bublik moved up five places to No 19 and sits one spot ahead of Daniil Medvedev, who lost in the first round and dropped five places. Francis Tiafoe fell 12 places to No 29 after a third-round exit. Joao Fonseca reached a career-high No 41 (+3) after making the third round.

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Kamil Majchrzak became the new Polish No 1, replacing Hubert Hurkacz, jumping 14 places to No 62 after a third-round run. Leandro Riedi surged 268 places to No 167 after qualifying and reaching the fourth round. Coleman Wong became the first man from Hong Kong to qualify for a major main draw in the Open Era and reached the third round, jumping 25 places to No 148.

Current top 20 (points):
1. Carlos Alcaraz Spain – 11,540 points (+1)
2. Jannik Sinner Italy – 10,780 (-1)
3. Alexander Zverev Germany – 5,930
4. Novak Djokovic Serbia – 4,830 (+3)
5. Taylor Fritz United States – 4,675 (-1)
6. Ben Shelton United States – 4,280
7. Jack Draper Great Britain – 3,690 (-2)
8. Alex de Minaur Australia – 3,545
9. Lorenzo Musetti Italy – 3,505 (+1)
10. Karen Khachanov – 3,280 (-1)
11. Holger Rune Denmark – 3,090
12. Casper Ruud Norway – 2,755
13. Felix Auger-Aliassime Canada – 2,755 (+14)
14. Andrey Rublev – 2,610 (+1)
15. Tommy Paul United States – 2,510 (-1)
16. Jiri Lehecka Czech Republic – 2,415 (+5)
17. Jakub Mensik Czech Republic – 2,380 (-1)
18. Daniil Medvedev – 2,370 (-5)
19. Alexander Bublik Kazakhstan – 2,245 (+5)
20. Alejandro Davidovic Fokina Spain – 2,225 (-2)

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Analytics & Stats ATP WTA

Post–US Open rankings: Anisimova rises to No. 4 as Alcaraz returns to No. 1

Amanda Anisimova rises to a career-high No. 4 after US Open final; Alcaraz regains No. 1 spot. 2025.

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Amanda Anisimova moved to a career-high No. 4 in the WTA rankings after reaching the US Open final, leaping from No. 9 to No. 4. Her prior career-best had been No. 7. Anisimova also sits fourth on the Race to the WTA Finals and has a strong chance to qualify for the season-ending event.

“Yeah, it was actually a goal of mine in the start of the year,” she told reporters on Saturday, after the final. “Me and my agent, we were joking about that, that that would be a goal of mine, and it was kind of far in reach when I was starting off the year, but now I have a chance to qualify and play in it, so that’s really special.”

Anisimova began 2025 at No. 36. Her biggest ranking jumps this year included a rise from No. 41 to No. 18 in February after winning the first WTA 1000 title of her career in Doha, and a jump from No. 14 to No. 7 in July following her run to the Wimbledon final. She is one of only two women to reach multiple Grand Slam finals in 2025, alongside Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her in the US Open final.

On the ATP side, Carlos Alcaraz returned to No. 1 after capturing his second Grand Slam title of the year and the sixth major of his career at the US Open. Alcaraz moved from No. 2 to No. 1, swapping places with Jannik Sinner after defeating him in four sets in the final. He begins his 37th career week at the top of the rankings.

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Several other notable moves followed the tournament. Novak Djokovic rose from No. 7 to No. 4 after reaching the US Open semifinals, his fourth straight Grand Slam semifinal and his highest ranking of the year; the last time he was No. 4 was last November. Felix Auger-Aliassime climbed from No. 27 to No. 13 after his second Grand Slam semifinal in New York; he is a former No. 6. Naomi Osaka re-entered the Top 20, advancing from No. 24 to No. 14 after her semifinal run, her highest ranking since she was No. 14 for two weeks at the 2022 Australian Open.

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