Jannik Sinner booked his place in another US Open final with a four-set 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Félix Auger-Aliassime, but the biggest storyline afterward wasn’t just his victory. Instead, it was whether he’d be fit enough to face his rival Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. The world No. 1 had taken a medical timeout during the match, sparking concern about his condition.

“Nothing too bad,” Sinner said when asked about the timeout during the post-match on-court interview. “It’s nothing serious. I’m very happy. There are no excuses. Sunday is a very special day, amazing final again. Let’s see what’s coming….I just felt a small twitching after a serve when I served there in the second set on 4-3.. After the treatment, was feeling much, much better. At some point I didn’t feel anything anymore. I was serving back to normal pace, so it was all good. Nothing to worry about.”

The incident came at a tense point in the match. Sinner felt discomfort in his stomach during the second set and left the court for treatment after Auger-Aliassime had leveled the score. When he returned, the Italian quickly found his pace, jogging back onto court, regaining his usual serving speed, and reasserting control with his forehand. He steadied himself through some tricky passages before sealing a four-set win. As he struck match point, the defending champion let out a visible sigh of relief, knowing it meant not only a return to the final but another shot at Alcaraz.

“I feel like our rivalry started here,” Sinner said. “We are two different players now. Different confidence too. Let’s see what’s coming. We’ve played quite a lot this year. We know each other very well. Let’s see who’s preparing in the best possible way. But in any case it has been an amazing tournament again. An amazing feeling to come here one more time to play in front of you guys. I’m looking forward to it.”

This matchup is becoming historic in itself. Sinner and Alcaraz are the first men in the Open era to meet in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in the same year, after battling at Roland Garros and Wimbledon earlier this summer. The No. 1 ranking will also be at stake, and their return to Arthur Ashe carries extra weight; it was here in 2022 that Alcaraz beat Sinner in a five-set classic. Since then, the Italian has grown into the dominant force at hard-court majors, now riding a 27-match win streak. He also defeated Alcaraz at Wimbledon in July to claim his fourth Grand Slam title. For Alcaraz, the final offers both redemption and opportunity.

He saved three match points to beat Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this year and now has the chance to even the score. A victory on Sunday would give him his second US Open title, his sixth career slam, and the world No. 1 ranking. During the post-match press conference, Alcaraz expressed his eagerness to battle Sinner once again.

Carlos Alcaraz on how he will prepare to face Jannik Sinner

“If I play against Jannik, I am going to take things about the last matches that I have played against him. The last one or the last three matches, I am gonna take note. I will see what they did wrong or what I did great just to approach the final in a good way. Let’s see,” he shared. 

As for Jannik Sinner, during the on-court interview, he pointed out that his rivalry against Alcaraz began at the US Open in 2022, even though they first battled at the 2021 Paris Masters. That being said, things have changed since the two went toe-to-toe in what was one of the greatest matches ever played at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“We have different confidence, too. Let’s see what’s coming. We have played quite a lot this year, so we know each other very well. Let’s see who is preparing in the best possible way,” Sinner noted. The stage is set, the anticipation is sky-high. Want to get minute-by-minute updates from the epic final on the go? Head to EssentiallySports’ live blog of the US Open.