Rivalry intensifies as Alcaraz and Sinner contest first grand slam final
Towards the final stretch of the big three’s unprecedented period of dominance, as it became clear Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would vacate their thrones, the future of men’s tennis was clouded in uncertainty.Although there was a talented, competitive generation of players born in the 1990s waiting to take their place, the gulf in quality was significant.For a short time, there were opportunities for someone brave enough to take them.The past fortnight in Paris has again underlined how Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have emphatically shut the door on this prospect.As they prepare to face each other in a grand slam final for the first time, at Roland Garros on Sunday, it will mark the sixth consecutive grand slam that has been won by either Sinner, the world No 1, or the world No 2, Alcaraz.
This also represents the first major final between two players born in the 2000s,Dominic Thiem’s victory over Alexander Zverev in the 2020 US Open final is the only final between two players born in the 1990s,Six years ago, in his first ATP challenger tournament and third professional outing overall, a 15-year-old Alcaraz was drawn against Sinner at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Villena, Spain, his training base,The pair had received wildcards, with Alcaraz unranked and a 17-year-old Sinner holding a ranking of No 319,Alcaraz won in three sets.
Since then, every meeting has only heightened the anticipation that this would be the most important rivalry in the men’s game,By the time they were battling at almost 3am in their 2022 US Open quarter-final, an instant classic won in five sets by Alcaraz en route to his first grand slam title, this felt inevitable,“He’s a player who makes me a better player,” said Sinner on Friday,“He pushes me to the limit,We try to understand where we have to improve for the next time I play against him.
”Although he needed more time to iron out his early mental deficiencies, Sinner has established a remarkable level of consistency.His record is 47-2 since last August, winning the past two grand slam titles – the US Open and Australian Open – and the vast majority of those matches have not even been close.His three-month doping ban between February and May has done little to halt him.Six matches in, Sinner has undoubtedly been the player of the tournament, tearing through without dropping a set.Both players have many years to build their résumés, but as he seeks out his first grand slam title away from hard courts, Sinner will also be attempting to win his fourth major title, which would draw him level with Alcaraz.
Those two defeats suffered by Sinner in that spell came at the hands of Alcaraz, who won their gripping three-set final in the Beijing Open last year and then recently outplayed Sinner in Rome, Sinner’s comeback tournament.In contrast to the composed consistency established by Sinner, Alcaraz can be wild and unpredictable.Just as his varied, complete game has taken him to greater heights than Sinner, the lows have been far more desolate.Sign up to The RecapThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s actionafter newsletter promotionSinner is one of the purest, most destructive shotmakers around and he robs time from all challengers with his depth, pace and devastating weight of shot.Alcaraz used to attempt to match the Italian’s firepower with his own heavy weaponry but he now understands that his edge is his variety.
Sinner thrives on rhythm and pace, but Alcaraz has spent the past few meetings employing the full range of shots to disrupt the Italian.There are ample reasons for Alcaraz to be hopeful about his prospects on Sunday, even as the Italian continues to destroy the rest of the field.Alcaraz has won their past four meetings, establishing a 7-4 lead in their head-to-head, and red clay remains the Spaniard’s dominant surface.However, in these battles between two generational talents, the only certainty is that every time they enter the court against their greatest rival, a difficult match awaits.
Pensions report cuts Reeves’ planned growth funds from £160bn to £11bn
Plans to invest £160bn of surplus funds from final salary pension schemes to boost the UK economy over the next 10 years have been dealt a blow by a Whitehall assessment that found there was likely to be little more than £11bn available to spend.In a knock to Rachel Reeves’s growth agenda, a report by civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found that the expected surpluses in occupational schemes would be used by businesses to offload their pension liabilities to insurance companies.It could mean that as little as £8.4bn would be available for companies to invest in new equipment or technology, but the figure was likely to be nearer £11bn, the DWP said on Friday.“It is estimated that an additional £11
Trump bill set to add trillions to US debt pile – can America stop it climbing?
Economists are concerned, politicians are angry – but the national debt keeps growing, no matter who’s in chargeIn this febrile political era, few issues command stronger bipartisan support than the need for fiscal responsibility. Barack Obama and Donald Trump committed to curtail the US national debt on their respective roads to the White House.And yet, no matter the party, Americans have been able to count on one thing above most: the national debt will keep climbing.And here we are again. With Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” threatening to add once more to the US’s huge debts, several Republican senators are threatening to block his current spending plans, with Rand Paul of Kentucky among those highly critical
High court tells UK lawyers to stop misuse of AI after fake case-law citations
The high court has told senior lawyers to take urgent action to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence after dozens of fake case-law citations were put before the courts that were either completely fictitious or contained made-up passages.Lawyers are increasingly using AI systems to help them build legal arguments, but two cases this year were blighted by made-up case-law citations that were either definitely or suspected to have been generated by AI.In a £89m damages case against the Qatar National Bank, the claimants made 45 case-law citations, 18 of which turned out to be fictitious, with quotes in many of the others also bogus. The claimant admitted using publicly available AI tools and his solicitor accepted he cited the sham authorities.When Haringey Law Centre challenged the London borough of Haringey over its alleged failure to provide its client with temporary accommodation, its lawyer cited phantom case law five times
Shopper put on facial ID watchlist after dispute over 39p of paracetamol at Home Bargains
A London woman has made a data complaint after discovering she had been put on a facial recognition camera watchlist at a Home Bargains store after a dispute over 39p worth of paracetamol.She learned of her entry on a database of banned customers when a member of staff at the store in Grove Farm retail park in Chadwell Heath asked her to leave and directed her attention to a Facewatch sign.Facewatch is a facial recognition system used by retailers to identify and deter shoplifters by analysing CCTV footage and comparing faces against a private database of known offenders. It triggers an alert to staff when a match is made by the software.Stores including Asda, Budgens, Sports Direct and Costcutter have used the technology, despite privacy campaigners arguing that the surveillance infringes the rights of shoppers
Leicester 21-16 Sale: Premiership rugby union semi-final – as it happened
Here’s Michael Aylwin’s verdict from Welford Road. Thanks for joining me. All eyes on Twickenham next Saturday, for Bath v Leicester in the final. Until then …As for Dan Cole, who is retiring after the final, he says: “This club means everything to me, really. I used to sit up in the stands as a boy, joined when I was 15, I’ve played with so many fantastic guys
Lambourn wins the 2025 Derby in dominant fashion: horse racing – as it happened
That’s your lot for today, a long one and one that has ended, predictably with an Aidan O’Brien winner in the Derby although maybe not with the horse many were expecting at the start of the week. The soggy ground helped Lambourn who was much the best horse on the day in the end – and was well backed after Epsom got more rain overnight going into the big day. Here is Greg Wood’s report on the big race. See you for Royal Ascot in a fortnight’s time.1 Sondad (Joanna Mason) 12-1 2 Twilight Jet (Joe Leavy) 33-1 3 Badri (Hollie Doyle) 14-1 11 ran Non Runners: 1,45
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