US Open 2025: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz show reigns, but who's next?

TOI in New York: The US Open – the year’s final Grand Slam -- may just be the stage for a third force to rise.For two seasons now, the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz duopoly has gripped men’s tennis, their epic summer showdowns defining the Tour’s style, skill and spirit. But is the sport teetering under the weight of too much of a good thing?Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After having never met in a major final - ATP Masters 1000 and above - until May, the World No. 1 and 2 have played each other four times in four months. They split Grand Slam honours with the 24-year-old Sinner triumphing at Wimbledon and the 22-year-old Alcaraz claiming the French Open for his fifth major title.The duo enter the US Open, starting in New York’s Queens borough on Sunday, as the men to beat with draws that, on paper at least, don’t pose too many hurdles.
The Italian, still recovering from a virus that took him out of the Cincinnati final a week ago, could play Alexei Popyrin in the second round. A potential fourth-round clash looms against Alexander Bublik, the last man to beat him in a completed match. Alcaraz opens against the big-serving Reilly Opelka and might play the struggling Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round.Prior to Sinner and Alcaraz shared monopoly, for a couple of decades, tennis was dominated by a trimatrix, which was once a quartet. Fans were spoilt for choice. Roger Federer dazzled with staggering range, Rafael Nadal gagged opponents with wicked spin and Novak Djokovic brought a mental edge unlike anything the sport had seen before him. Andy Murray, a three-time major winner, who made eight other finals, provided the grit and guts angle.Djokovic hasn’t gone anywhere. Back-to-back Slam semi-finals that followed his quarter-final win over Alcaraz at Melbourne Park proved as much. Not even a casual observer would rule out the 38-year-old in New York despite not having played a match since Wimbledon.The 24-time major winner billed the possibility of a third factor that could lend a new dimension to the Sinner-Alcaraz reign as the ‘Djoker spot’.“I kind of empathise with the third guy, because I was in those shoes with Federer and Nadal. I want to see a third guy coming in,” said Djokovic, who is Federer’s junior by six years and a year younger than Nadal.The Serbian was 20 when he won his first major title in 2008 at the Australian Open, by which time Federer had racked up 12 majors and Nadal had won Roland Garros thrice.Does Ben Shelton, fresh off an ATP 1000 triumph in Toronto, a home hope in New York, and now ranked at a career-high world No.6, fit the bill of disruptor?The 22-year-old American is playing catch up with his European peers Sinner and Alcaraz particularly when it comes to experience on grass and clay.Shelton had never travelled outside the United States until January 2023 and is playing his 13th major this week. Alcaraz, the 2022 US Open champion, is seven months Shelton’s junior in age, and will contest his 19th major main draw. Sinner, a year older than the American, will play his 24th major main draw.Shelton, who opens against qualifier Ignacio Buse on Sunday, exudes laid back Gen Z swagger that contrasts the demeanour of his more conventional European rivals. A personality as bold as his booming serve. He’s hard to miss anywhere on the grounds with his large over-ear headphones and a hoodie pulled over his burly 6'4" frame.Shelton’s style is full of dramatic flair that instantly marked him out as a star. His dialled-in post-match celebration became the talking point in 2023. He lifts his hand to his ear, like he’s answering a phone after a win, and then slams it down with a smirk.“I'm an entertainer at heart,” he said on Media Day. “I'm never going to be the guy who is able to robotically go about my business and not change expressions or show any emotion. I play better when I show some emotion.”Shelton, who began 2025 at No. 21 in the rankings, has been consistent in Grand Slams this year, falling to either Sinner or Alcaraz.The left-hander has served 513 aces this season, winning 87 percent of service games and saving 68 percent of break points. His numbers stack up favourably in comparison with the top-two. Sinner has saved 67 percent of break points and won 86 percent of service games, while Alcaraz, the world No.2, is at 64 for break points saved and 84 for service games won.“It seems like if you want to win a big title these days, that's who you've got to go through,” he said of playing Sinner and Alcaraz.Ashe’s blue carpet awaits, two weekends from now, when the loudest parties in tennis take the stage.