This past Sunday, September 7, Carlos Alcaraz the 22-year-old Spaniard won his sixth grand slam tournament lifting the U.S. Open Championship for the second time after defeating the former world number one Jannik Sinner in a commanding four set victory. Marking the perfect bounce back after falling short to Sinner in the most recent grand slam tournament this past July in the Wimbledon final four sets to one.
The U.S. Open is one of tennis’s oldest and most prestigious events that is hosted throughout the year being one of four grand slam majors. The grand slam tournaments take place at various times throughout the year and are played on various surfaces. The first being the Australian Open in which takes place in Melbourne, Australia and is played on a hard-court surface with current tennis player Novak Djokovic holding the most titles (10) at the event. The second event is the French Open that takes place at the Roland Garros stadium complex in Paris and is the only major tournament that is played on clay. Wimbledon is arguably the most famous of the slams, takes place in the summer and is played on a grass playing surface within the United Kingdom marking the third major of the year. Concluding with the U.S. Open as the last major slam that is played throughout the year in New York City, once again on a hard-court playing surface.
The varying playing surfaces and historic venues is part of what makes these tennis events so special for Tennis fans throughout the world, as each surface presents its own challenges and calls for differing playing styles amongst the top players throughout the world.
Making Carlos Alcaraz’s most recent triumph over Jannik Sinner even more impressive, because it now marks his second major title he has won throughout the calendar year and concludes one of the most dominant stretches any two professional athletes have had in recent memory with the two having split the past eight major championships.
Despite this period of dominance, in route to the title Alcaraz may have very well been playing some of his best tennis to date, having only dropped one collective set throughout the entire tournament, a feat that has never been seen before at the U.S. open. While his opponent sinner was not far behind as for prior to his defeat in the final he has only lost two.
Leaving us as spectators to watch and wonder for what is next in store as this new generation of tennis superstars are just beginning to enter the peaks effectively cementing themselves as the two men to beat in professional tennis for years to come.
Daniel Silva is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].