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.

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.