In a battle between the two men’s tennis titans, Carlos Alcaraz emerged as the year’s final Grand Slam champion—and he’s closing in on the top five of the men’s tennis career earnings list.

Alcaraz defeated Sinner at the US Open final Sunday in New York, earning his second Grand Slam title in 2025 and a record $5 million first prize. With the win, Alcaraz also reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking Sinner has held since June 2024. The 22-year-old last held the No. 1 spot in September 2023.

The Spaniard has won six Grand Slams. The Australian Open is the lone major he has yet to conquer to in his quest to achieve a career Grand Slam, though he has yet to even pass the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. 

Sunday’s win pushed Alcaraz to nearly $54.5 million in career earnings. He is still sixth all-time, but close to passing Alexander Zverev for No. 5. The German entered the US Open with about $54.5 million in earnings, and took home $237,000 after being eliminated in the third round. 

Sinner still earned $2.5 million by finishing runner-up, a larger prize than he took home for winning the Australian Open at the beginning of the year ($2.2 million). He has amassed about $48.8 million in earnings and moved ahead of the struggling Daniil Medvedev for seventh on the all-time earnings list, right behind Alcaraz. 

Before Sunday’s match even started, Sinner and Alcaraz already made history by becoming the first duo to ever battle in three consecutive Grand Slam finals in the same calendar year. Alcaraz won in Paris and New York, while Sinner won at Wimbledon in July. Sinner defeated Zverev in the Australian Open final in January.

Alcaraz got the best of Sinner in two ATP Masters 1000 finals this year, including at the Italian Open, Sinner’s home tournament. He also won at the Cincinnati Open last month, though Sinner retired due to illness. 

The two have won nine of the last ten Grand Slam titles dating back to Wimbledon in 2023. Alcaraz has won five and Sinner has won four, though the Spaniard won his maiden Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open.

Sabalenka Jumps Into Top 4 Earners

Sinner wasn’t the only one to rake in a significant payday from the US Open. Women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Amanda Anisimova on Saturday, also took home $5 million. It was her second consecutive US Open title.

The 27-year-old now has $42.3 million in career earnings, fourth all-time behind Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Iga Świątek, who took home $1.26 million for making the semifinals. 

Sabalenka could move into the top two soon, as she is less than $1 million away from both Venus Williams and Świątek.

President Donald Trump was greeted by a mix of cheers and boos as he was shown by ESPN/ABC during the national anthem before the US Open men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. 

The final was delayed by 30 minutes due to extra security measures attributed to Trump’s appearance at the event. It was then delayed again, and ultimately started around 48 minutes late. Clips of a slow-moving line to enter the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center prior to the match circulated on social media. 

Earlier this weekend, Bounces writer Ben Rothenberg reported that the USTA asked broadcasters to “to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.”

The USTA effectively confirmed the report in a statement to FOS, saying that “we regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions.”

Saturday, a source told FOS that ESPN would acknowledge Trump’s presence at the final but focus on the match. Trump is attending the event as a guest of Rolex, one of the tournament’s biggest sponsors. 

ESPN aired an address from Trump during halftime of the college football national championship game earlier this year. He was also shown getting applauded at multiple UFC events, which air on ESPN platforms but are produced by the MMA promotion. UFC fights will migrate to Paramount next year.

Michigan and Oklahoma’s battle in Week 2 of the college football season featured a quarterback duel that highlighted contrasting philosophies. The Wolverines invested in 18-year-old true freshman Bryce Underwood, this year’s top-ranked high-school recruit, while the Sooners relied on No. 1 transfer and redshirt junior John Mateer.

The veteran prevailed.

No. 18 Oklahoma defeated No. 15 Michigan 24–13 on Saturday, and Mateer led the way for the Sooner with 270 passing yards and a touchdown. The 21-year-old transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State, where he had a breakout 2024 after two seasons backing up Cam Ward, who would eventually become the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

According to ESPN, Mateer is expected to make somewhere between $2.4 and $3 million in his first season at Oklahoma.

That estimate is in the ballpark of the estimated average annual value of Underwood’s four-year contract with Michigan. The deal was believed to be worth at least $10 million last fall, but On3 reported ahead of the season that it could be as high as $12.5 million. The unprecedented deal was funded by billionaire media and tech tycoon Larry Ellison.

However, after throwing for more than 250 yards and a touchdown against New Mexico in Week 1, the five-star quarterback was limited to 9-of-24 passing (37.5%), 142 yards, and zero touchdowns against the Sooners.

He also appeared to get into an intense exchange with running back Justice Haynes after the team struggled to convert in the red zone. Haynes is a junior transfer from Alabama.

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said after the game that the two were “fine” after talking it through. “It’s competitive. They both want to be right,” Moore said.

Fortunately for Michigan, they have time to be patient with Underwood. The Wolverines will not face another ranked team until their final game, when they battle their archrival, No. 1–ranked Ohio State, on Nov. 29.