Boris Becker offered a blunt assessment after Jannik Sinner was unable to defend his US Open title, falling 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s men’s singles final. The loss cost Sinner the championship and allowed Alcaraz to reclaim the world No 1 ranking.

Becker pointed to a specific weakness that Alcaraz exploited throughout the match. “From the first minute to the last, Alcaraz was clearly better than all the other players and even better than Sinner,” said Becker. “In the final, he was clearly the boss. He played tennis from another planet and deserved to win the tournament.

“The big difference I noticed in this duel was on serve; Sinner was clearly weaker, and that’s unforgiving, if he has a real weakness, it’s this one.”

The defeat extended Alcaraz’s dominance in their rivalry: it was Sinner’s seventh loss to Alcaraz in eight meetings since the start of 2024, leaving Alcaraz with a 10-5 advantage in the head-to-head. During that period Sinner lost only four matches to players other than the Spaniard. Alcaraz’s victory also brought him level with Becker on two US Open titles and six Grand Slam trophies overall.

Becker said he had expected more from Sinner and felt the Italian had not advanced in the ways Alcaraz had. “I am one who always thinks to tell the truth. I was a little disappointed. I expected more.

“But of course I was not disappointed by Alcaraz. Because he really played tennis better today than a year ago. He had more variations, he had speed changes. He played serve volley. He played backhand slice. He played forehand where you don’t see the ball.

“And I think Sinner, for the first time, he stood still with his game. He is now predictable. You know exactly what always happens. And it’s not as bad that I see it that way. It’s worse for him that Alcaraz sees it that way.

“And I think for the first time that Alcaraz really took a step forward. And Sinner stayed the same. He partly didn’t know how to win the points. Except Alcaraz hit the ball.

“In his press conference after the match, Sinner, always said very honestly, that he [Alcaraz] has developed further in tennis and I have not. And I think it’s great that he says that. But that’s how I felt it.

“There was never a discussion for me, even after the second set, who would win this match in the end. And I didn’t see that in any other final between the two.”

Both players are scheduled to compete at the Shanghai Masters next month, where Sinner will aim to defend the title he won in 2024.

The 2025 Hangzhou Open arrives as the ATP returns to Asia for its autumn swing, with a notable entry list for an ATP 250 event. The tournament, staged again after its 2024 edition in which Marin Cilic defeated Zhang Zhizhen in the final, will take place in the 8,000-seat stadium and promises a compact week of singles action.

Top seed duties fall to world No 14 Andrey Rublev, who is entered at the event for the first time. He is joined at the head of the field by compatriot Daniil Medvedev, a former world No 1 who is competing in his first tournament under new coach Thomas Johansson. Medvedev has dropped to 18th in the ATP Rankings this season and is opting to focus on ATP events rather than other team competitions.

Alexander Bublik, ranked No 19, is also entered and arrives on the back of his best season to date, targeting a fourth title of 2025. The quartet of top seeds is completed by world No 39 Corentin Moutet, the only other top-40 player currently in the entry list.

Seeds five through eight include Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut, Adrian Mannarino and Learner Tien. Defending champion Marin Cilic returns to defend his title, and Matteo Berrettini is among those listed as making a comeback following recent injury issues. Other names in the entry list include Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Damir Dzumhur, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Matteo Arnaldi and David Goffin, among others.

As an ATP 250 tournament, the champion will receive 250 ranking points. While the ATP has not published an updated round-by-round points table for 2025, last year’s distribution awarded 165 points to the runner-up, 100 to semifinalists, 50 to quarterfinalists, 25 to second-round winners and no points for a first-round exit. The event carries a total prize-money purse of $1,019,185, up slightly from 2024; Cilic earned $152,240 for lifting the title last year.

The 28-player main draw begins on Wednesday, September 17 and concludes with the final on Tuesday, September 23. The top four seeds—Rublev, Medvedev, Bublik and Moutet—will receive byes into the second round. Wildcards and qualifiers will be confirmed ahead of the draw ceremony.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner arrive at September with heavy workloads behind them and differing short-term plans. Across a month of high-stakes finals in North America, the pair reached back-to-back title matches and logged 13 matches each, although the Cincinnati final was cut short.

After meeting in the Wimbledon final, where Sinner emerged victorious, both skipped the Canadian Open and then reunited in Cincinnati. Alcaraz lifted the trophy after his rival retired while trailing 0-5 due to illness. They were the last two standing again at the US Open, with Alcaraz going on to win the title.

Alcaraz was due to play for Spain in the Davis Cup Qualifiers second-round rubber against Denmark in Marbella but has withdrawn, the federation citing fatigue. With Italy already through to the Davis Cup Final 8 play-offs in Bologna, Sinner will not be in action for his nation this round either.

Six-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz will return to competition at the Laver Cup, representing Team Europe in San Francisco alongside Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli. It will be his second appearance at the annual team event after debuting in 2024. Sinner has again opted not to take part.

The two will head to the Asia swing on different paths. Sinner is entered at the China Open while Alcaraz will make his debut at the Japan Open; both tournaments run from September 24-30. They both played in Beijing last year and reached the final there, with Alcaraz prevailing in a three-set match.

The next event likely to put them in the same draw is the Shanghai Masters, which begins October 1. Sinner enters as the defending champion after beating Novak Djokovic in the final 12 months ago; Alcaraz lost in the Shanghai quarter-final to Tomas Machac.

Their programmes for the late regular season remain flexible. They did not play at the Vienna Open or Swiss Indoors in 2024 before Alcaraz returned at the Paris Masters and lost in the third round. Sinner was initially on the Paris entry list but withdrew due to illness. Both have already secured places at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, provided they are fit and healthy.