The emerging rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz is one that many in tennis believe can fill the void left by the ageing superstars.
Few will forget their epic US Open quarter-final in 2022, which finished at 2:50am in New York and featured some jaw-dropping exchanges.
This was a different type of contest. Neither player found their best level consistently – and rarely at the same time.
But the match developed into an absorbing encounter where, at times, each man relied on heart as much as their head.
“It was one of the toughest matches I’ve played, for sure,” said Alcaraz.
Sinner made what could be considered a perfect start, taking Alcaraz’s serve with the two break points he created and twice holding to love for a 4-0 lead.
By defending robustly and returning with depth, Sinner forced a flurry of mistakes from Alcaraz’s forehand and continued to bewilder his opponent at the start of the second set.
Another early break put Sinner ahead – but the dynamic swiftly changed.
Alcaraz, finding better angles and more precision with Sinner not hitting as deep, broke twice to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 5-2 lead and level the match.
After trading breaks at the start of the third set, Alcaraz could not take four more chances at 2-2 when Sinner struggled with cramp in his playing arm.
Having received treatment, Sinner recovered to break in the next game before he required further attention – this time on his legs – from the physio.
Sinner served out to move back in front. However, a wild overhead at 30-15 5-4 in the fourth set, pushing it wide with Alcaraz stranded, proved costly.
Last year, Alcaraz suffered from full body cramps in his maiden Roland Garros semi-final, blaming it afterwards on the tension of facing the incomparable Novak Djokovic.
This time, he looked more relaxed as the match wore on and ultimately raced ahead to clinch the decider.
