10 Parting Thoughts From the 2025 U.S. Open

 1. Carlos Alcaraz won the 2025 U.S. Open, capping off two weeks of devastatingly compelling—and electrically entertaining—tennis with an authoritative defeat of Jannik Sinner in the final. This rivalry already has more matches played than Björn Borg and John McEnroe—and the swaying momentum is extraordinary. At Wimbledon, Sinner made an incursion, beating Alcaraz on grass, thwarting a three-peat. Here, Alcaraz beat Sinner in a hard-court final, preventing a repeat. More twists, please!

2. Aryna Sabalenka has won 25 singles matches at majors this year and now has a major title to show for this consistent excellence. She defended her U.S. Open trophy magnificently, dropping only one set and matching her ferocious hitting with a fierce mental effort. Of the past majors played on hard courts, that is the 2023, ’24 and ’25 Australian Open and U.S. Open, Sabalenka has four titles and was a finalist twice. And, for a player who was worried about her crowd reception after her Roland Garros faux pas, she was, rightly, warmly received. 

3. Amanda Anisimova reached her second consecutive major final, which does and doesn’t sound surprising. Given her purity, power and ballstriking, why not? Given that she lost in the Wimbledon final 6–0, 6–0, what an effort to reset, flush the past, and emerge stronger. “You’ll win one soon, girl,” as Sabalenka put it, is cold comfort. But here, one senses it’s the truth.

4. Sinner played either well or well enough for six rounds. Then, he ran into an in-form Alcaraz and, in the third consecutive major final between them, had little in the way of resistance. He’s won four of the past eight majors. So has his rival.

5. So, what do you do if you’re Novak Djokovic? You’re the third-best player in the world, rankings be damned. And yet you are 38 years old and can’t hang in best-of-five matches with the two players above you, who are younger, fiercer and more physical. It’s easy to see him saying, Why quit when I can still make major semifinals as a matter of habit? But it’s hard to see a clear path to winning that 25th major at this point.

6. For the first time in five years, Naomi Osaka advanced to the second week of a major. For the first time in her career, she did not go on to win the title after getting there. Though out-battled by Anisimova in the semifinals, Osaka has to be thrilled by the upgraded state of her game. And by her decision to hire Tomasz Wiktorowski, a dignified coach, dedicated solely to her improvement. (Now about those Labubus …)

7. Felix Auger-Aliassime, take a bow. His U.S. Open outing serves as a reminder that careers are not always linear. A bit of a forgotten man if late, the exceedingly likable Canadian—a modest 25, both in age and ranking—tore through the semifinals, and did well once he got there, pushing Sinner in four sets. The run included wins over Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur. There is a long staircase from Sincaraz down to the next level, but it’s nice to see a new face on the landing.

8. Jessica Pegula lost a semifinal battle against Sabalenka and left a winner. Barely a month ago, she lost to a 35-year-old ranked outside the top 350. The Wednesday before the event, she was so frustrated that she cut short a practice and did an escape room. Then she won five matches and nearly defeated the No. 1 player. As the kids say, what a baller.

9. Pegula and Anisimova (and Taylor Townsend) held down the fort. However, it must be noted that this event was a step back for many other Americans. Coco Gauff’s game is back in the shop. (see below). Taylor Fritz had legit designs of winning the title, and was, yet again, thwarted by 38-year-old Djokovic. Ben Shelton had legitimate designs on winning the title, but he injured his shoulder in the third round, retiring against 37-year-old Adrian Mannarino. Shelton is now out of the Davis and Laver Cups. Same for Tommy Paul. Frances Tiafoe, who builds his season to peak in New York, couldn’t manage a set against 35-year-old Jan-Lennard Struff. Madison Keys, the winner of the previous hard-court major, lost in Round 1. Playing a home slam can be as much of a curse as a blessing.

10. There was a minor upset in the women’s doubles draw as Erin Routliffe and Gaby Dabrowski beat the top seeds, Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková in the final.