Jul 13, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Jannik Sinner of Italy pose with their trophies after the menÕs singles final on day 14 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

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Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz ATP Cincinnati Open 2025 Preview, Start Time and Where to Watch the Final

The two best players in the world renew an iconic rivalry.

For the fourth consecutive tournament they are featuring in, the two best players in the world will square off for bragging rights. Jannik Sinner is set to put his crown on the line against Carlos Alcaraz in the 2025 Cincinnati Open final on Monday. When an immovable force looks to tame the Spanish bull, there are always bound to be fireworks. Today, we will preview the premier men’s rivalry ahead of the huge final.

World No. 1 Sinner Eyes Back-to-Back Trophies in Cincinnati

Jannik Sinner is enjoying a 2025 campaign that only the tennis gods could have scripted. With 26 consecutive hard court wins and 21 straight sets on the surface, he is undoubtedly the man to beat at the moment. Apart from the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, the World No. 1 has reached the final in every tournament he has featured in this year. With two Grand Slams and two finals to his name, 24-year-old Sinner will step onto the battlefield with fire in his eyes on Monday.

Last year, Sinner beat the likes of Rublev and Zverev in three tight sets en route to the final. Here, he comfortably overcame the Tiafoe challenge to lift the Cincinnati crown for the first time. Twelve months later, the top seed has entered another summit clash – this time without dropping a set. Despite facing just two Canadian seeds in Diallo and Auger-Aliassime along the way, his semifinal victory against breakout star Atmane will give him momentum for the marquee clash.

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes 🎂 Really happy to be back in the finals ❤️🥳 @CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/6CXG6WU2A2
— Jannik Sinner (@janniksin) August 17, 2025

Alcaraz Gunning for Wimbledon Revenge

After his semifinal win over Zverev, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz made it clear that he is ready to learn from his mistakes and stand tall against the Sinner challenge. Last month, the Italian powerhouse snatched Alcaraz’s Wimbledon crown after a four-set slugfest. On Monday, the Spaniard will look to return the favour and settle his score with Sinner. Having lost in Round-2 here and at the US Open in 2024, Alcaraz potentially has big gains on the line.

The five-time Grand Slam champion was handed a big scare in his opening encounter vs Dzumhur. After huffing and puffing his way to a 6-1 2-6 6-3 win, he sailed into the QFs with two comfortable wins. Coming up against a familiar foe in Rublev, Alcaraz edged past the Russian in three gruelling sets. In the semis, Alcaraz beat an ailing Zverev to book his spot in the title determinant.

Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz – Who Has the Edge in Recent Encounters?

Carlos Alcaraz leads the head-to-head against Jannik Sinner by 8-5. The rivalry has been touted as the greatest battle in the current era, and one that will carry men’s tennis for years to come. In 2025 alone, Sinner and Alcaraz have already played each other on three occasions prior to the Cincinnati final. While the Spanish superstar came up trumps in Rome and Roland Garros, Sinner had the final say in the Wimbledon Championships final.

Men's duos this century to face in the final of four consecutive big events (that both players entered):

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, 2006
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, 2011
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, 2025

Intertwined. pic.twitter.com/61fj0mG91e
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) August 17, 2025

Sinner is currently 31-3 in 2025 – the World No. 1 has now reached the final in five out of six tournaments this year. He recently captured his 200th hard court win on his 24th birthday. On the other side of the net, Alcaraz has gone 38-2 since the beginning of April. Contesting a seventh consecutive final on Monday, the World No. 2 will look to reduce the gap in his quest for year-end No. 1 ranking.

What Time Does the Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz Final Start?

Chapter-14 of the Sinner vs Alcaraz rivalry will start at 3PM ET (8PM UK Time) on Monday. The final is set to be played at the P&G Center Court in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Where to Watch Jannik Sinner vs. Carlos Alcaraz 2025 Cincinnati Open Final?

JANNIK SINNER. CARLOS ALCARAZ.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a treat 🎭@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/tbSSztiWps
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 17, 2025

The Cincinnati Open 2025 final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel 2. Additionally, live streaming will be available on Tennis Channel+. Apart from this, fans can access streams on TennisTV, DirecTV, Plex and Amazon Prime Video.

(Image Credits: Susan Mullane, Imagn Images)

Alexander Zverev

ATP

Carlos Alcaraz

Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner

Roland Garros

Tennis

US Open

Wimbledon

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.