Sinner had just one break-point in the match. Surely, it was cold comfort that the 24-year old Italian, who was the defending champion here, converted it in the one set he won.
“I am not a machine,” Sinner had noted after his demanding third-round win over Denis Shapovalov. “I also struggle sometimes.”
This certainly was one of those times, the least competitive of their six meetings at the majors. And with Alcaraz now ahead in their overall rivalry 10-5, it begs the question: If Sinner is a kind of tennis terminator—a bot, if you will—what does that make Alcaraz?
“A wizard,” would be the immediate answer, and at times in this meeting it certainly seemed an apt description. Sinner is the best returner in the game, at least on hard courts, yet Alcaraz held serve at love four times and allowed just that single break point. Alcaraz outplayed Sinner in every facet of the game for the bulk of the match, and Sinner acknowledged as much.
