Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, aka Sincaraz, rule men's tennis as the 2025 US Open arrives

NEW YORK (AP) — OK, sure, maybe it wouldn't be rational to say there's no point in actually holding the full U.S. Open and instead just fast-forwarding to the inevitable matchup for the men's championship between Jannik Sinner — assuming he's healthy — and Carlos Alcaraz on Sept. 7.

Seems reasonable, though.

“We know,” Novak Djokovic acknowledged, “they’re the dominant force right now.”

When singles action begins Sunday at Flushing Meadows, a change from the usual Monday start, there are cases to be made for various players to make their way to the women's final. The top three in the rankings — No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Swiatek and No. 3 Coco Gauff — have won the past three U.S. Open titles, for example. Other past major champions such as Naomi Osaka or Elena Rybakina have performed well lately; maybe a new face will emerge.

When it comes to the men, there really is just one name that matters in this post-Big Three era, and that name is “Sincaraz,” the silly, made-up, “Fedal”-style mashup of the guys who are ranked No. 1 (Sinner) and No. 2 (Alcaraz) and have claimed seven Grand Slam trophies in a row and nine of the last 12.

Djokovic took the other three in that span.

There is nothing quite like it in the women’s game at the moment. The past five Slams were won by five players: Swiatek (Wimbledon in July), Gauff (French Open in June), Madison Keys (Australian Open in January), Sabalenka (last year’s U.S. Open) and Barbora Krejcikova (last year’s Wimbledon).

“Sinner and Alcaraz,” said Marcos Giron, an American who has been ranked 37th and faced both, "are bringing a ridiculous level, week in and week out."

Look at the ATP rankings, which either could lead after the U.S. Open. Look at the titles. Look at the past two Grand Slam finals, with Alcaraz erasing a two-set deficit and saving three championship points to win the French Open in June, before Sinner won in four sets at Wimbledon in July. Look at the most recent Masters 1000 tournament, the Cincinnati Open, where Sinner didn't drop a set en route to Monday's final but quit because he was feeling ill, ceding the trophy to Alcaraz.

That ended Sinner's 26-match winning streak on hard courts; Alcaraz was responsible for the previous defeat, too. Alcaraz collected his tour-leading sixth trophy this season and has won 39 of his most recent 41 contests.

Since Sinner returned in May from a three-month doping ban, Cincinnati was the fourth event both entered — and they met to decide the title in all four.

They hit the ball as hard as anyone. Sinner's returns rival Djokovic's for best in the game. Alcaraz's drop shots are unrivaled. The athleticism displayed by both is remarkable. Alcaraz might be the fastest guy around. Sinner's long limbs reach everything.

What sets them apart from others?

“Their confidence. Their ball-striking. Their movement is basically perfect,” said Sam Querrey, a former player who made it to Wimbledon's semifinals and the U.S. Open's quarterfinals. “It seems like they hit the ball with just a little extra force when they need to.”

It leaves other elite players such as Ben Shelton, the 22-year-old American who is ranked No. 6, so-close-yet-so-far at majors.

Shelton's 2025 Grand Slam resume includes losses to Sinner at the Australian Open, to Alcaraz at the French Open and to Sinner at Wimbledon.

“Frustrating,” Shelton said. “Two very different players and challenges.”

The sample size is, admittedly, small, but these two are producing the sort of riveting points and thrill-a-minute matches that Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal, or Nadal vs. Djokovic, used to.

“The rivalry is real. It’s there,” said Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s two coaches. “And hopefully it’s going to be there and real for the next 10 or 12 years.”

Not sure? Head to YouTube and check out Alcaraz vs. Sinner, whether at Roland-Garros this year or at the U.S. Open in 2022 or pretty much any of their 14 showdowns ( Alcaraz leads 9-5 ).

“You have to earn every point, every game. He makes you suffer (from) the first point of the match until the last ball,” said Alcaraz, a 22-year-old from Spain. “It's really tough to find holes in his game.”

Sinner's take?

“We try,” the 24-year-old from Italy said of their matchups, “to push ourselves to the limits."

FILE - Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match of the French Tennis Open against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

FILE - Jannik Sinner, of Italy, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - Italy's Jannik Sinner, right, greets Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, at the net after beating him to win the men's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Italy's Jannik Sinner, left, celebrates with the trophy after beating Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, right, to win the men's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Winner Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, and Italy's Jannik Sinner hug after the final match of the French Tennis Open at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump this week quietly appointed four new members to the Commission of Fine Arts, one of two federal panels reviewing his plan to build a White House ballroom.

One of the four is James McCrery, an architect who had led the now $400 million ballroom project until Trump replaced him late last year. McCrery also served on the commission during Trump's first term as president.

The White House announced the project last summer and Trump later demolished the East Wing to make room for the ballroom. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued in federal court to halt construction until the fine arts panel and a second federal commission give their approval.

The four new members were revealed in court papers filed Thursday by a White House official as part of that lawsuit. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The commission, which normally has seven members, has been vacant for months. Trump dismissed six commissioners last fall after the East Wing was demolished. A seventh commissioner, who was the panel’s chair, resigned after Trump took office last year because their term had expired.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has accused the Trump administration of violating federal laws by starting the project before submitting it for independent reviews by the commissions and Congress, as well as the public.

The three remaining members appointed by Trump to the Commission of Fine Arts are: Mary Anne Carter of Tennessee; Roger Kimball of Connecticut; and Matthew Taylor of Washington, D.C.

The National Capital Planning Commission, the second federal panel with oversight of construction on federal land, including the White House grounds, heard an initial presentation about the ballroom at its meeting on Jan. 8.

Marine One helicopter is seen on the South Lawn of the White House to transport President Donald Trump to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, as work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House, Tuesday, Jan., 13, 2026, in Washington, where the East Wing once stood. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)