Sinner turned 24 years old on Saturday, while Alcaraz is 22. All of this is to say it’s not a surprise that top-ranked Sinner and Alcaraz are meeting in the finals of the 2025 Cincinnati Masters, one of the biggest non-Grand Slams on the tennis calendar and the warmup event for the U.S. Open.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open on Monday after Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to illness. Alcaraz was already up big on Sinner, the World No. 1, when he had to retire. Sinner told the crowd that he hoped to play after feeling bad overnight, but he couldn't make it work.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner, who has been recovering from illness, received a more favourable route to the U.S. Open final than Carlos Alcaraz while Aryna Sabalenka will be tested in her bid to retain her title after the draw was made on Thursday.

Jannik Sinner fell ill a day before his Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz. And as a consequence, he withdrew from the match after trailing 0-5 in the first set.