New York in September is always a fever dream of humidity and yellow felt, but the US Open scores 2025 tennis fans witnessed felt different. Honestly, if you just looked at the final bracket, you’d think it was business as usual. Carlos Alcaraz back on top. Aryna Sabalenka dominating. It looks predictable on paper.
It wasn't. Not even close.
The two weeks in Flushing Meadows were actually a chaotic mess of record-breaking checks, absolute meltdowns from former champions, and a security delay involving a sitting president that left the Arthur Ashe crowd buzzing for all the wrong reasons. While everyone focuses on the shiny trophies, the real story lives in the scores that almost didn't happen and the underdogs who decided to ruin everyone's betting slips.
The Alcaraz Revenge and Those Wild Final Scores
Carlos Alcaraz is 22. Let that sink in. By the time he walked off the court after the men's final on September 7, he had his sixth Grand Slam title and a $5 million winner’s check in his pocket. He took down the defending champion, Jannik Sinner, with a scoreline of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
The match was a rollercoaster. Sinner had been the world No. 1 for 65 weeks. He looked untouchable. But Alcaraz, sporting a new buzz cut that fans joked made him "aerodynamically superior," broke Sinner eight times. Eight. For context, Sinner had only been broken four times in the entire tournament leading up to the final.
The third set was the turning point. Alcaraz hit what people are already calling the "shot of the year"—a banana shot overhead from the baseline that skidded off the court at an angle that shouldn't be physically possible. Sinner just stood there. You could see the realization on his face: he wasn't just playing a guy; he was playing a force of nature.
Sabalenka and the Anisimova Scare
On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka proved she is the undisputed queen of hard courts. She went back-to-back, defending her title by beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3).
But the US Open scores 2025 tennis recap doesn't tell the whole story of that second set. Anisimova, the No. 8 seed, had Sabalenka on the ropes. The crowd was desperate for a third set. Sabalenka looked like she might double-fault her way into a disaster, but she found that "Tiger" mode she’s famous for. She clamped down in the tiebreak and basically bullied her way to the finish line.
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Anisimova's run was the real heart of the tournament, though. After years of struggling with form and personal loss, seeing her in a Grand Slam final was the highlight for most purists. She didn't win the trophy, but she won the room.
The Scores Nobody Saw Coming: Round 1 Carnage
If you want to talk about what people actually missed, look at the first round. This is where the US Open scores 2025 tennis fans were truly shocked.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champ, got dumped out in the first round by world No. 51 Benjamin Bonzi. The score was a weird, lopsided 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(5), 0-6, 6-4. Medvedev literally lost a set 6-0 and still almost won, only to unravel in the fifth after a massive argument with the chair umpire. He ended up splitting with his longtime coach, Gilles Cervara, right after. It was ugly.
Then you had Madison Keys. She was a favorite coming in after winning the Australian Open earlier in the year. She ran into Renata Zarazua and collapsed. Keys hit 89 unforced errors. 89! You can't win a high school match with those numbers, let alone a night match on Ashe. Zarazua won 6-7(10), 7-6(3), 7-5 in a match that lasted nearly three hours.
Notable Upsets at a Glance
- Benjamin Bonzi d. [13] Daniil Medvedev: 6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 6-4
- Renata Zarazua d. [6] Madison Keys: 6-7, 7-6, 7-5
- Alexandra Eala d. [14] Clara Tauson: 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (Eala became the first Filipino player to win a US Open main draw match).
- Raphaël Collignon d. [12] Casper Ruud: 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5
The $90 Million Elephant in the Room
Let's talk money because the 2025 purses were insane. The USTA bumped the total prize money to $90 million. That is a 20% jump from 2024.
Basically, even if you showed up and lost in the first round, you walked away with $110,000. That’s life-changing money for the grinders ranked 80th or 90th in the world. Alcaraz and Sabalenka each took home $5 million. It’s the biggest payout in the history of the sport.
Why the 2025 Scores Matter for 2026
The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner is now officially the only thing that matters in men's tennis. They’ve split the last eight majors. It's like Federer and Nadal all over again, but faster and with more sliding on hard courts.
Alcaraz reclaimed the No. 1 spot with this win, but Sinner is right on his heels. They see each other more than their own families—Alcaraz even joked about it during the trophy ceremony.
For the women, the power gap is closing. Sabalenka is the boss, but the depth in the WTA is terrifying. When players like Alexandra Eala or Renata Zarazua can knock off Top-20 seeds in the first round, no lead is safe.
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Actionable Takeaways for Fans
- Watch the "Banana Shot" replays: If you haven't seen Alcaraz's third-set winner against Sinner, find it on YouTube. It’s a masterclass in physics.
- Track the Youth Movement: Keep an eye on the 2026 Australian Open odds for Amanda Anisimova. Her 2025 US Open run wasn't a fluke; her game is back.
- Check the Rankings: Carlos Alcaraz starts 2026 as the world No. 1. If you're following the points race, the gap between him and Sinner is less than 500 points.
- Prepare for 2026: The US Open announced that Stacey Allaster is stepping down as tournament director. Expect some changes in how the event is run next year, hopefully with fewer security-related start-time delays.
The US Open scores 2025 tennis season was defined by a changing of the guard that felt final. Djokovic made the semifinals but looked human against Sinner. Medvedev is searching for a new identity. The era of Alcaraz and Sabalenka isn't just coming; it’s already here, and it’s very, very expensive.