Carlos Alcaraz was excellent from start to finish in New York, as he picked up his sixth Grand Slam title.
Advancing to the US Open final without dropping a set, Alcaraz dominated the field at Flushing Meadows.
Meeting Jannik Sinner in a Grand Slam final for the third time this year, Alcaraz won the first set 6-2, before suffering his first setback of the tournament.
The resilient Italian fought back to take the second set 6-3, robbing Alcaraz of the chance to become the first male player to win the US Open title without dropping a single set.
Refusing to let Sinner take control of the match, momentum swung back in Alcaraz’s favor, as the Spaniard won the third set 6-1.
A 6-4 final set followed, as Alcaraz beat Sinner in the 2025 US Open final, returning to world number one as a result.
Weighing in with her thoughts on Alcaraz’s latest Grand Slam win, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli made a bold prediction about the Spaniard’s future.
Marion Bartoli says Carlos Alcaraz will become ‘almost unbeatable’ if he keeps serving this well
Alcaraz’s serve was formidable throughout the entire tournament, but it was particularly excellent during the US Open final.
Sharing her thoughts on the shot, Bartoli told BBC Radio 5 Live what may happen if Alcaraz can continue to serve this well.
“For him, normally the serve we know is a shot that sometimes can go away, that’s why it has been ongoing work done by Juan Carlos Ferrero to sort of tweak the technique and make it reliable,” she said.
“It was not reliable at times before, today he won the US Open by being broken only three times throughout the entire tournament, that is [Roger] Federer-esque or [Pete] Sampras-like.
“That is just a number that you won’t expect from Carlos Alcaraz.
“Mark my words, I’m saying it again, if Alcaraz starts to become that server that we’ve seen throughout this US Open, he’s going to become almost unbeatable.”
Bartoli compared Alcaraz to two all-time greats in Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, and was right to do so.
Alcaraz rarely blinked on serve all tournament, showcasing the improvements he’s made on a shot that has troubled him in the past.
| Match | Aces | Double faults | 1st Serve % | Win % on 1st Serve | Win % on 2nd Serve | Times broken |
| F v Jannik Sinner | 10 | 0 | 61% | 83% | 57% | 1 |
| SF v Novak Djokovic | 7 | 2 | 56% | 84% | 57% | 1 |
| QF v Jiri Lehecka | 5 | 2 | 63% | 84% | 79% | 0 |
| 4R v Arthur Rinderknech | 6 | 1 | 65% | 85% | 89% | 0 |
| 3R v Luciano Darderi | 9 | 1 | 69% | 83% | 65% | 1 |
| 2R v Mattia Bellucci | 7 | 2 | 60% | 86% | 71% | 0 |
| 1R v Reilly Opelka | 4 | 6 | 69% | 86% | 85% | 0 |
Bartoli wasn’t the only one who noticed Alcaraz’s serving efforts, as former British number one Annabel Croft was also quick to praise the Spaniard.
Annabel Croft says Carlos Alcaraz’s level was ‘extraordinary’ in the US Open final
The Brit was mightily impressed with Alcaraz’s performance against Sinner in the US Open final.
“I thought his level was extraordinary, he set the tone from the word go, the way he came out of the blocks so quickly in this match,” said Croft.
“It was just a brilliant tactical match from him. We saw all of the skills he has at his disposal on display tonight, and so much of it worked so effectively.
“Yes, there was a bit of a drop off because the serve wasn’t working in that second set, but oh my goodness, did he come back at it.
“The aggressive forehand into the forehand corner, up the line, into the corners, coming forward, used the slow slice, used the drop shot, oh my goodness, forget the first match point, I can’t believe he played that drop shot, with such a cool mind.
“But for me, it was the serving, how he served out the match, held his nerve, and the bravery and courage.”
Now ranked number one in the world, Alcaraz will look to continue dominating on serve when he returns to action at the Davis Cup for Spain’s qualifying tie with Denmark on September 13.
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