Jannik Sinner outduels Carlos Alcaraz for Wimbledon crown

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2 days ago

1 of 6 | Italian Jannik Sinner holds the Gentlemen's Singles Challenge Cup after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon 2025 men's singles final Sunday in London. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo
July 13 (UPI) -- Jannik Sinner sizzled serves into the edges of Centre Court, while smothering Carlos Alcaraz with aggression at the net to overwhelm the Spaniard on Sunday for his first Wimbledon title.
The top-ranked Italian topped Alcaraz 15-8 in aces and 40-38 in winners, while converting 4 of 9 break point opportunities en route to the title.
"I'm just living my dream," Sinner said on the ESPN broadcast of the 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win. "It's amazing to be in this position. We would never have thought to be in this position.
"Back in the day, when I was young, it was only a dream of a dream. It was so far away from where I'm from. I'm just living my dream."
With the victory, Sinner earned his fourth overall major title, snapped Alcaraz's career-best 24-match winning streak and denied the Spaniard of a third-consecutive title at the grass-court major.
Alcaraz, ranked No. 2, entered the match with an undefeated record over his previous five major final appearances.
Sinner also avenged his dramatic loss to Alcaraz in last month's record-long French Open final.
"I had a very tough loss in Paris, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter how you win or you lose important tournaments," said Sinner, who now only needs an Australian Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.
"You just have to understand what you did wrong and try to work on that. That's exactly what we did. We just tried to accept the loss and just keep working. That is for sure one of the reasons I hold this trophy."
Sinner delivered his serves toward Alcaraz's torso throughout the Wimbledon finale, avoiding his foe's phenomenal forehand returns. He earned championship point with a 137-mph heave, his fastest of the match, which Alcaraz failed to get back to the net with a desperate backhand.
Alcaraz was hustling throughout, while struggling to contend with Sinner's strong services. He was uncharacteristically inaccurate on his typically devastating drop shots.
Sinner was the aggressor, coming to the net 40 times for 30 conversions, compared to Alcaraz's 17 of 23 rate.
"It's always difficult to lose," said Alcaraz, who was on a five-match wining streak against Sinner. "I just have to congratulate Jannik, once again. It is a really well-deserved trophy."
Alcaraz and Sinner each held serve through the first four games of the match. The Italian earned the match's first break in the fifth game, forcing a long return from the Spaniard for a 3-2 lead.
He then used an ace to hold, but Alcaraz answered by winning the next three games, including his first break, for a 5-4 advantage. Alcaraz finished off the set with a brilliant backhand return, breaking Sinner for a second time.
He would not break the Italian again for the remainder of the 3-hour, 4-minute match.
Sinner broke Alcaraz to start the second set. Each player held over the next eight games before Sinner closed the set with a forehand winner to tie the championship.
The match remained tight throughout the third set until Sinner took advantage of an Alcaraz slip with a soft backhand volley to earn his third break in the ninth game. Sinner held when Alcaraz failed to return his final serve of the set.
Sinner, who did not log an ace through the first two sets, hit seven in the third.
He broke Alcaraz for a fourth time in the third game of the final set en route to a 3-1 advantage and never looked back. Sinner saved two break points in the eighth game, holding for a 5-3 advantage. He earned championship point just minutes later when Alcaraz failed to return his final serve.
Sunday's match was the first Wimbledon men's singles final since 2002 that didn't feature Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or Andy Murray.
Alcaraz and Sinner are responsible for the last seven Grand Slam titles.
Like Wimbledon 2025 women's singles champion Iga Swiatek, Sinner took home $4.1 million for his victory. He also will remain the top player in the ATP Tour rankings, while Alcaraz, who takes home $2.1 million, will stay at No. 2.
The final Grand Slam of the tennis season -- the 2025 U.S. Open -- will be held from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 in Flushing, N.Y.
Top tennis stars compete at Wimbledon 2025
Italian Jannik Sinner plays a backhand in his match against Italian Luca Nardi in the first round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in London on July 1, 2025. Sinner won 6-4, 6-3, 6-0. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo