Carlos Alcaraz claimed the Cincinnati Open title for the first time in his career.
The 22-year-old came agonisingly close to winning the Masters 1000 title back in 2023, when he lost an epic three-set final to Novak Djokovic.
But in 2025 Alcaraz became champion in Cincinnati, after beating world number one Jannik Sinner in unfortunate circumstances.
Sinner retired from the final due to illness while trailing 0-5 in the opening set, meaning Alcaraz won his sixth title of the season and his first on outdoor hard courts.
Carlos Alcaraz at times found it ‘frustrating’ playing on the Cincinnati Open courts
The Cincinnati Open was given a new look ahead of this year’s tournament.
Over the past year, the Lindner Family Tennis Center, where the tournament is hosted, underwent renovations worth $260 million following the conclusion of the 2024 tournament.
The venue has now been transformed into a complex with more modern and expanded facilities and more courts. One thing that did not change after the renovations is the quickness of the courts.
This is something Carlos Alcaraz alluded to, as he explained both the positives and negatives of the Cincinnati Open courts.
“Yes, a little bit [it takes away from my variety]. It feels different to be honest,” he said. “Obviously I think on these kind of courts that are really, really fast, you can play more aggressively than you often can.
“I love to do that, I love to go to the net and hit big shots all the time. Here it is a little bit easier to do it.
“But at the same time, when you are missing more than you are used to, it is frustrating in some ways because you don’t get that good rhythm that you want to get.
“So sometimes you have to accept it, keep it going and hope that things are going to be better.”
Carlos Alcaraz shared a message with Jannik Sinner after the Cincinnati Open final
The highly-anticipated Cincinnati Open final came to an end after just five games and 23 minutes played.
Sinner committed a double fault to open up a 5-0 lead for Alcaraz, before calling the trainer at the next changeover.
Sinner then decided he could no longer continue, which gave Alcaraz the win. During the trophy presentation, Alcaraz shared some kind words for his rival.
“This is not the way that I want to win trophies, I just have to say sorry, I can understand how you must feel now,” Alcaraz said to Sinner.
“As I said many times, you are a true champion and I am sure from these situations.
“You are going to come back even stronger, as you always do. That’s what true champions do. I’m sorry and come back stronger.”
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