Déjà Vu at the US Open: Alcaraz-Sinner 2025 echoes Nadal-Djokovic 2013, dropping second set before storming through final sets with nearly identical scorelines

Tennis fans witnessed a curious déjà vu at this year’s US Open men’s singles final as Carlos Alcaraz toppled Jannik Sinner to become the no. 1, not only in a thrilling three-set battle but also in a way that eerily mirrored the 2013 US Open final between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Looking at the scorelines, the parallels of the four-set match are striking and unbelievably similar. In both, the eventual champion dropped the second set before asserting dominance in the later stages. In 2013, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to claim the US Open title.

Fast forward to 2025, Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz delivered a similar performance, beating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a thrilling men’s singles final. But this two-hour and forty-two-minute match between Alcaraz and Sinner was much shorter than the 2013 match, which lasted three hours and twenty-one minutes.


The US Open tennis also posted this in their X account,



The victory gives Alcaraz his sixth Grand Slam overall and second of 2025, adding to his French Open triumph earlier this year. Fittingly, his first major title also came in New York back in 2022, when he was still a teenager.

For Sinner, the loss ended his bid for a third Slam of the season, after victories at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and what would have been the fifth major title of his career.

Dubbed 'Sin-Caraz,' this third consecutive Grand Slam showdown between them will be remembered as one of the most electrifying matches of the new era, coming after the retirements of Federer, Nadal, and Murray, and as Djokovic enters the twilight of his career.