Alcaraz, Sinner Headline Best Stories from 2025… National Bank Open

Another chapter in the New Two era was written in 2025.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continued their hold in the ATP’s biggest events, a reign that was once only made believable by the Big Three. Now, Alcaraz and Sinner’s best moments from the past year warrant being in the same breath as some of the greats.

Sinncaraz’s Slam Sweep (Again)

Here’s a bit of resemblance to the previous era. For the second-straight season, Alcaraz and Sinner combined to hoist all four Grand Slam trophies in a calendar year. The rivals were the first to do so for two consecutive years since Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in 2006 and 2007.

But the New Two made some history that only they have been able to achieve. After Sinner claimed the Australian Open title, the two met in the next three major finals, becoming the first players in the Open Era to meet in three-straight Grand Slam finals in the same season.

Their trilogy began with THAT marathon at Roland-Garros, where Alcaraz fought off three championship points to eventually seal the five-hour-and-29-minute title match. Sinner then rallied from a set down to get his revenge at Wimbledon, but Alcaraz hoisted the trophy at the US Open to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking.

To cap off the year, the Spaniard and Italian battled for the title at the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner successfully defended his year-end championship, but the two rivals finished the season in a stalemate – playing a total of 3302 points over the course of their rivalry so far, and each winning 1651.

Maiden Masters 1000s in the Sun

While there hasn’t been a Sunshine Double on the ATP Tour since Novak Djokovic managed the feat three-straight times from 2014-16, this year, the March hard-court 1000s were instead home to a pair of milestone moments.

Beginning in Indian Wells, Jack Draper had the perfect start to his time in the American sun. Through his opening four matches, the British No. 1 beat the likes of Joao Fonseca, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton, all in straight sets.

Draper lost his first and only set of the event in a win over Alcaraz in the semis before cruising to victory over Holger Rune in the title match to hoist his first Masters 1000 trophy.

In Miami, the Brit’s quest for the Sunshine Double ended early at the hands of eventual champion Jakub Mensik in his opening match.

Following his upset over the world No. 7, Mensik earned another Top 10 win over Fritz en route to the final. The Czech teen faced Djokovic for the Miami crown. 18 years of age separated the two players, but youth prevailed as Mensik secured his maiden Masters 1000 title.

No Longer Uncharted Territory for Shelton

When Shelton clinched a spot in the National Bank Open semifinals, it was exactly where he wanted to be – in uncharted territory.

Having already checked off an ATP 250 and 500 title, the American was in search of his first Masters 1000 triumph, finding himself two wins away from that milestone after his quarter-final win over Alex de Minaur in Toronto.

Shelton earned a straight-sets victory over American No. 1 Fritz in the semifinals, setting up a title match with Karen Khachanov. The Atlantan conceded the opening set but managed to force a decider where a determined Shelton sealed the contest in a tiebreak, capturing his first Masters 1000 title.

Vacherot Wins Fairytale Shanghai Final

Not many had heard the name Valentin Vacherot prior to Shanghai. That’s because the Monégasque had just one tour-level win and was ranked No. 204 as he made his fourth-career Masters 1000 appearance.

However, the 27-year-old began to add more wins to his modest tally. After sneaking into the draw as a qualifier then cruising in the first round, Vacherot picked up three Top 25 victories over Alexander Bublik, Tomas Machac via retirement, and Rune on his path to the semifinals. Against all odds, the Monégasque scored the biggest win of his career, taking down Djokovic in straight sets to become the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 finalist.

Standing in the way of the title – his cousin, Arthur Rinderknech. The Frenchman took a one-set lead in the family feud but, for the fourth time in the main draw, Vacherot came back to top off his Cinderella run with some silverware. The fairytale title bumped the Shanghai champion up 164 spots to No. 40.

Auger-Aliassime’s Late-Season Surge

A place in the ATP Finals seemed unlikely for Félix Auger-Aliassime halfway through the season. The Canadian was No. 27 in the rankings heading into the US Open but found another gear, starting in Flushing Meadows.

Auger-Aliassime beat Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, and de Minaur to reach the US Open semifinals. The run brought him up to 13^th ahead of a favourable indoor hard-court swing. With another title in Belgium and a runner-up finish in Paris, the Montrealer held the final spot in the race to the year-end championships, eventually booking his ticket to Turin.

Making his second appearance at the ATP Finals, the 25-year-old reached the semis for the first time to conclude his red-hot end to the season, going 21-6 over the final three months and finishing the year at a career-high No. 5 in the rankings.

Italy Complete Davis Cup Three-peat

Italy’s struggles on the world stage may be exclusive to the football pitch, as the Azzurri continued their Davis Cup reign in Bologna.

It was no Sinner, no problem for an Italy team led by Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini. The Italian No. 3 and 6 were undefeated throughout the final eight, sweeping Austria, Belgium, and an Alcaraz-less Spain to clinch a third-straight Davis Cup title for the host nation.

Italy are undefeated in their last 14 ties at the event, becoming the first team in 53 years to complete the Davis Cup three-peat.

The ATP's best return to Montreal next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at IGA Stadium. Click here for information about tickets.

Feature Photo: ATP Tour