Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka leave New York with excess baggage after claiming the US Open trophies.
A tournament that saw British interest end in the first week cemented the dominance of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and provided a cathartic title defence for Sabalenka.
Here, the PA news agency picks out five things we learned from Flushing Meadows.
Advantage Alcaraz
Pure domination 😤 pic.twitter.com/3neC54H06E
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2025
When Sinner avenged his French Open final loss by ending Alcaraz’s Wimbledon reign, it put the Italian back on top of men’s tennis.
But now Alcaraz has tipped the balance again, producing a sensational fortnight in New York to overtake his rival and return to world number one.
Sinner’s hard-court major streak is over after two years, while Alcaraz now has six slam titles to his rival’s four.
The 22-year-old Spaniard’s reputation for dips in level appears thoroughly outdated – of his last 38 matches, he has won 37.
Sabalenka strikes a balance
There is no doubt Sabalenka deserves her position at the top of the women’s rankings for consistency alone but it would have felt a strange position had she not won a grand slam title this season.
After emotional wobbles at the other three slams, this was a real test, but she ticked big boxes by coming through a tight semi-final against Jessica Pegula and then holding off a fightback from Amanda Anisimova in the final.
Naomi Osaka’s resurgence adds to what is already a great battle at the top of the women’s game.
The next challenge for Sabalenka is to try to win a slam title away from hard courts.
Step back for Draper
Hi guys, I’m sorry to say I’ll be withdrawing from the US open. I tried my very best to be here and give myself the every chance to play but the discomfort in my arm has become to much and I have to do what is right and look after myself. Thank you for all the support.
— jack draper (@jackdraper0) August 27, 2025
What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Jack Draper had marked himself out as a potential future slam champion by reaching the semi-finals in a season where he appeared to have become more physically resilient.
But his campaign in New York lasted just one match before an ongoing arm injury prompted him to pull out.
Having also had fitness issues at the Australian Open, he was heavily compromised at both slams on his best surface and a season that offered so much promise now threatens to peter out.
Draper is still in a decent position to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time but he may feel he would be better off making sure he is fully right for Australia.
Raducanu needs ranking leap
Failing to make it past the third round of a grand slam this season could be seen as a disappointment for Emma Raducanu yet it is hard to quibble given her defeats have come against Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Raducanu got a monkey off her back by finally winning matches again in New York and is playing well enough to beat most players, but a gap to the very top remains.
If she could get her ranking into the top 20 ahead of the Australian Open, that would give her a much better chance of a deep run.
Her new coaching partnership with Francisco Roig looks positive and the hope must be that it endures.
Mixed doubles success
Tennis can be very resistant to change, so the announcement that the mixed doubles would be played ahead of the main tournament and feature a star-studded line-up of singles players was always going to cause controversy.
But there is no doubt it was a success.
An event that usually attracts very little attention became a headline act, drawing packed crowds and global TV audiences.
The other grand slams are unlikely to copy the same formula but it should have encouraged them to think bigger when it comes to innovation.
