Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played a match for the ages at the French Open just a month ago. Get ready for a sequel at Wimbledon, tennis fans.
After both Alcaraz and Sinner dispatched semifinal opponents Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic, respectively, on Friday at the All-England Club, the two will be meeting in a major final for the second time overall—and second consecutive time—on Sunday at Wimbledon.
And with the Wimbledon rematch on tap, the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry has now also entered rarified air in tennis history. Sinner and Alcaraz are just the second pair of male tennis players to meet in the French Open and Wimbledon finals in the same season, joining 20-time major winner Roger Federer and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal, according to The Tennis Letter.
It's the latest sign that Sinner, 23 and Alcaraz, 22, are forging a rivalry that could potentially define this era of tennis, just as Federer and Nadal did nearly two decades ago.
Alcaraz, after experiencing some turbulence earlier at Wimbledon, came up with some timely breaks and winners when it counted to advance in four sets against a resilient Fritz on Friday. Alcaraz, the back-to-back defending Wimbledon champion, is seeking his third straight title at the All-England Club and 25th straight match win. Meanwhile, Sinner, the No. 1 player in the world, overwhelmed a clearly-compromised Djokovic in straight sets to advance to his first-ever Wimbledon final. Sinner is just the 11th male tennis player to reach the final of every major in the Open era. Only Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray have done so in the 21st century.
Sinner and Alcaraz have played 12 times, with Alcaraz winning eight of the matches, including the last five. The Wimbledon final will be played on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET.
More Wimbledon on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jannik Sinner-Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon Final Marks Feat Only Federer, Nadal Achieved.
