Sinner retired midway, giving Alcaraz his first Cincinnati title.

Alcaraz secured his eighth ATP 1000 Masters title, moving ahead of Zverev and ranking second only to Djokovic among current players.

Additionally, this is his sixth title of the year. He has a career finals record of 22 wins and 7 losses at the tour level.

In this battle for the championship, Sinner had to retire after only 23 minutes of play, with the first set at 0-5.

Under the sweltering heat, defending champion Sinner struggled and called for medical assistance when trailing 0-5 in the opening set, but ultimately could not continue.

As the saying goes, "Health is the foundation of everything."

We were celebrating all TOP3 players reaching the semifinals, but unexpectedly, two of them were sidelined by the heat, leaving only Alcaraz to persevere.

With this 22nd career tour-level title, Alcaraz has taken another step towards ending 2025 as world No. 1—a feat he last achieved in 2022. He currently leads Sinner by 1,890 points in the live ATP Turin Finals rankings.

“I’m truly sorry to disappoint everyone,” Sinner told the fans. “I haven’t felt well since yesterday. I thought a night’s rest would help, but it got worse. I tried my best to play, at least for a short match, but I just couldn’t continue, so I apologize.”

This defeat ended Sinner’s 26-match winning streak on hard courts, and now he must recover quickly to defend his US Open title. Sinner had planned to play mixed doubles at the US Open with Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday, but now his participation is uncertain.

Alcaraz addressed Sinner:

“I didn’t want to win the title this way. I’m sorry, and I understand how you feel. As I’ve said many times, you’re a true champion, and I believe you’ll come back stronger from this, as champions always do. It’s unfortunate, and I hope to see you return with full strength.”

In the 2023 Cincinnati final, Alcaraz had a championship point but was stunningly overturned by Djokovic. That match is considered one of the most thrilling in ATP history. Now, at 22, Alcaraz has finally captured the Cincinnati trophy—his eighth ATP 1000 Masters title, second only to Djokovic (40 titles) among active players.

With 54 wins and 6 titles in 2025, Alcaraz leads the tour and heads to the US Open, where the outcome could greatly affect his battle with Sinner for the No. 1 ranking. Since Sinner is the defending US Open champion, once the 2024 US Open points drop, Alcaraz will start the tournament with a 50-point lead in the live ATP rankings.

After ending a five-match losing streak against Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, Sinner was poised to achieve consecutive wins over his rival for the first time since 2023. However, Alcaraz now leads their intense ATP head-to-head 9-5, and they have met in the finals at Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and Cincinnati this season.

After winning in Monte Carlo and Rome, Alcaraz claimed his third ATP 1000 Masters title of the season, extending his winning streak at this level to 17 matches.

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