Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz go head to head for the 12th time in their careers in the French Open final. This meeting could be the most important of them all so far, as the two most promising young guns of this generation will battle it out for the elusive silverware at Roland Garros. Fittingly so, they are the top two ranked players, with Sinner holding the top spot. The two have never faced each other in a Grand Slam final and this will spice their rivalry further on from here. As we approach the grand finale, let’s dive into what’s been a fascinating rivalry so far.
The current head to head between the two stands firmly in Alcaraz’s favor as the Spaniard has seven wins in comparison to the Italian’s four. However, it wasn’t this one-sides until recently. The World #11 led the rivalry 4-3 until 2023 and looked more than convincing in his wins. However, the start of 2024 saw an inspired almost invincible Alcaraz on the court and the Spaniard made sure that form has some effect on his rivalry with Sinner as well. He has won four straight matches from then on and has firmly tilted the rivalry in his favor.
The rivalry in balance
The two players first met each other at the Paris Masters in 2021, where Alcaraz got the better of Sinner as he beat the Italian in straight sets. The Italian bounced back the following year in fine fashion with back to back wins over the World #2 in the Wimbledon Round of 16 and Umag final. Alcaraz fought fiercely to win their next counter, which till date has been their best match. It took place at the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, where the Spaniard came back from 2-1 sets down to win it in the decider. He backed that solid performance with a more convincing win at the Indian Wells Masters semifinal the following year. It was now the Italian’s turn to show some top level tennis as he beat Alcaraz the following week at the Miami Masters and backed that up with a win in Beijing that year.
Alcaraz starts to dominate
This is where the tide changed with Alcaraz bagging the next four encounters. They weren’t easy to come by but the Spaniard showed great grit to come victorious on each occasion. He beat Sinner at the Indian Wells and Roland Garros semifinals in fiercely fought three- and five-set matches, respectively. Then he came up with the goods at Beijing final too where he beat the Italian in 3 sets once again. Their most recent match was a straightforward win for the Spaniard as he beat the World #1 in straight sets in the Italian Open final.
Will Alcaraz continue that run in their next match? Or will Sinner find a way to re-balance the rivaly?
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
