Heartbreak in Cincinnati: illness forces Sinner to retire, Alcaraz takes his 8th Masters 1000
Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, was forced to retire from the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz on Monday, due to illness. Sinner trailed 0-5 in the first set when he called for medical attention and, after a brief assessment, stated that he was unable to continue “due to illness”. The highly anticipated match, the … Continued
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Cincinnati 2025 | © Aaron Doster-Imagn Images/Sipa USA
Jannik Sinner, the world No. 1, was forced to retire from the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz on Monday, due to illness. Sinner trailed 0-5 in the first set when he called for medical attention and, after a brief assessment, stated that he was unable to continue “due to illness”.
The highly anticipated match, the fourth of its kind in 2025 after the Rome, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon finals, ended after just over 20 minutes on court. Only 29 points were played, and Sinner won just 8 of them, losing his serve three times.
Sinner, who had not lost a set en route to the final, later apologized to fans during the trophy ceremony, explaining that he began feeling unwell the previous day and hoped he would get better overnight, but his condition worsened. “I tried to come out and make it at least a small match but I couldn’t handle more,” Sinner said. “I’m very, very sorry to disappoint you.”
Alcaraz : “Sorry Jannik”
Carlos Alcaraz, now with an ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and his sixth tour-level title of the season, expressed compassion for his opponent. He signed the camera with “Sorry Jannik” after the match and offering words of encouragement on court. “That wasn’t the way to win matches, to win the trophy,” Alcaraz said. “You are truly a champion. I’m pretty sure from this situation you are going to come back even stronger. That’s what true champions do”.
This unexpected ending puts Sinner’s participation in the brand new mixed doubles event at the US Open, set to start on Tuesday, in doubt. The Italian has paired with current mixed doubles Olympic champion Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
That’s the end of a 26-match winning streak on hard courts for the Italian, since losing to Alcaraz in Beijing final last year. He still hasn’t lost any Masters 1000 title this year, being suspended for Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid, losing the Rome and Cincinnati final, skipping Toronto.
Alcaraz, on his side, is on a 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 level after titles at Monte-Carlo and Rome, now tiying Muster (17) with the 10th-longest winning streak in series history. His run since April is now 39 wins and 2 losses.
