A brilliant Carlos Alcaraz ended the reign of Jannik Sinner on Sunday to capture the US Open title again and tighten his grip on the era-defining rivalry between the torch-bearers of the men’s game.

In a perfect echo of the triumph that first propelled him to world number one in 2022, Alcaraz’s 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win took him back to the summit of the rankings, as the 22-year-old Spaniard displaced Sinner and increased his Grand Slam trophy haul to six.

It made him the second youngest man in the professional era that began in 1968 to win six majors, after Bjorn Borg, and also snapped Sinner’s staggering 27-match winning run at hardcourt majors to dent the Italian’s sparkling season.

Alcaraz, who turned heads with his surprise buzz cut at the beginning of the slam and delighted fans with his golf swing celebrations, will depart as the toast of New York on a 13-match winning run with seven titles and six defeats in 2025.

“I want to start with Jannik, it’s unbelievable what you’re doing the whole season, great level during every tournament that you’re playing … I’m seeing you more than my family,” said Alcaraz, who took his win-loss record with Sinner to 10-5.

“It’s great to share a court, to share the locker room and to share everything with you.“I’m just really proud about the people I have around me. Every achievement that I’m having is because of you, thanks to you … this one is yours.”