The much-talked-about pairing of Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz fell to an early exit in the US Open’s mixed doubles competition on Tuesday, losing their first-round match and failing to win a set.

For two decades, men’s tennis was defined by the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who won a combined 66 out of 81 Grand Slam events between 2003 and 2023. Men’s tennis has entered a new era: the Big Two.

ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner retired just 23 minutes into the Cincinnati Open men's singles final, allowing Carlos Alcaraz to win the Rookwood Cup.

Jannik Sinner retired with an apparent illness 23 minutes into the first set of the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Tennis fans got treated to pure magic at the US Open mixed doubles, but sometimes even wizardry can’t save you from a disappointing exit. Carlos Alcaraz pulled off what might be the shot of the tournament – maybe the year – leaving his partner Emma Raducanu looking like she’d just witnessed actual sorcery.

Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open title in a little over 20 minutes Monday afternoon, after his nearest rival and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner retired through illness down 5-0. Sinner fought back tears as he was forced to quit the match, which was poised to be another instalment in the most compelling current rivalry in tennis.

Chrissie Evert, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, knows something about being involved with a fellow tennis player. She and Jimmy Connors were engaged in 1974 and when both players won Wimbledon singles titles that year, they were dubbed the “Love Double.”

Look, we’ve all been there—you’re having what should be the match of your dreams, and suddenly your body decides to stage a full-blown revolt. But when you’re Jannik Sinner, the world’s number one tennis player,