Tennis fans got treated to pure magic at the US Open mixed doubles, but sometimes even wizardry can’t save you from a disappointing exit. Carlos Alcaraz pulled off what might be the shot of the tournament – maybe the year – leaving his partner Emma Raducanu looking like she’d just witnessed actual sorcery.

For two decades, men’s tennis was defined by the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who won a combined 66 out of 81 Grand Slam events between 2003 and 2023. Men’s tennis has entered a new era: the Big Two.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open title in a little over 20 minutes Monday afternoon, after his nearest rival and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner retired through illness down 5-0. Sinner fought back tears as he was forced to quit the match, which was poised to be another instalment in the most compelling current rivalry in tennis.

Jannik Sinner retired with an apparent illness 23 minutes into the first set of the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.

The latest chapter of the Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz rivalry took a stunning turn on Monday when world No. 1 Sinner retired in the first set of the Cincinnati Open final due to an unspecified health issue.

BENGALURU - Carlos Alcaraz heads to the U.S. Open in his now-familiar role as chief challenger to defending champion Jannik Sinner and the Spaniard will be driven this year by the twin pursuit of Grand Slam glory and the world number one ranking.

Emerging stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are featured in the book, ‘Changeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men’s Tennis.’

After the Cincinnati Open Masters 1000, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were once again the point leaders of the week, and the ATP Race to Turin did not show significant changes from recent weeks.