Sinner win helps fuel burgeoning rivalry

One other contrast, usually, is that Alcaraz shows emotion, whether it's via yells of "Vamos!" Or the sort of point-to-his-ear-then-pump-his-fist celebration he did after winning Sunday's opening set by stretching and reaching low for a cross-court backhand to close a 12-stroke point.

Sinner is far more contained. Even his arm-raised victory poses are mild-mannered.

Sunday, though, there were more visible displays. After one point, he even shouted: "Let's go!" Later, he shook his racket overhead while the crowd roared after a well-struck backhand. When he took a set with a forehand winner, Sinner held a pose, then lifted a fist.

When the match was over, he crouched, lowered his head and pounded his right palm on the grass five times.

"You saw a bit more energy from him in the big moments," said one of Sinner's coaches, Darren Cahill, "and a bit more focus to knuckle down and make sure that, when he had his nose in front, that he kept on closing the door against Carlos."

Both players spoke about their matchup motivating them to work hard to try to improve.

"It gives me the opportunity to just give 100 percent in every practice, every day. Just to be better, thanks to that," said Alcaraz, who won the past two Wimbledon titles and was 5-0 in Grand Slam finals before Sunday. "The level that I have to maintain, and I have to reach, if I want to beat Jannik is really high."

Sinner described Alcaraz as "someone who is young, who wins basically everything."

"You have to be ready," Sinner explained, "if you want to keep up."

Agencies via Xinhua