US Open: Jannik Sinner will play Carlos Alcaraz in his fourth Grand Slam final of the year.

Italian Jannik Sinner defeated Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday to seal another reunion with Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open final, his fourth Grand Slam of the year.

The defending champion and world number one overcame physical problems to beat Auger-Aliassime (27) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 and 6-4.

Alcaraz and Sinner will be the first duo to face each other in three Grand Slam finals in a single season in the Open era (since 1968).

Sinner, 24, is the youngest player to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single season, having already lifted the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies.

This record has been held by Roger Federer since the 2006 season, when the Swiss maestro was 25 years old. Only two other tennis players, Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic , have achieved this feat.

Sunday's final will be the third in a row between Alcaraz and Sinner, following the Spaniard's victory at Roland Garros in June and the Italian's victory at Wimbledon in July.

Should Alcaraz win, he will overtake Sinner as the ATP world No. 1 seed, a position the Murcian has not held since September 2023.

After a resounding victory by Alcaraz in the first semi-final against Novak Djokovic , the shocks came unexpectedly in Sinner's turn.

Facing him was an unlikely rival in Auger-Aliassime, a former world tennis prospect who had been on the decline for years.

The Canadian, a semifinalist in 2021, rebounded on this same stage when few expected it, eliminating figures like Alexander Zverev with his athleticism and aggressive forehand.

Sinner lived up to expectations when he took the first set by a resounding 6-1.

Suddenly, the 23,000 fans woke up as the Canadian broke for the first time, took the second set, and a pained Sinner called for medical attention as he took his seat.

The number one, who was pointing at his abdominal area, received treatment in the locker room and took a while to get back into the swing of things.

His serve speed suffered dramatically, but the Canadian began a series of errors at key moments, missing 10 of his 11 break points in the match.

In the fourth set, he burned his last bullets in a fierce fourth game that lasted more than 10 minutes, in which Sinner resisted four break points, one of them with a dramatic shot that went in by inches.

The Italian raised his arms after almost three and a half hours and downplayed his discomfort.

"It's nothing too bad," he said. "I'm very happy. There are no excuses. Sunday is a very special day. Another incredible final. Let's see what happens."