Jannik Sinner retired after just five games against Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles final at the Cincinnati Open due to illness.

In the latest instalment of what was expected to be another classic match between male tennis' top two players, Sinner visibly struggled from the off and was broken three times by Alcaraz before retiring at 5-0 down in the first set.

The world No 1 apologised to the fans and now faces a race to recover in time for his US Open title defence in New York, with the tournament starting this Sunday live on Sky Sports.

"I'm super sorry to disappoint you. From yesterday, I didn't feel great. I thought I would get better during the night but it got worse," said Sinner.

"I tried to come out and make it a small match but I couldn't handle more. I'm very sorry for all of you. I know some of you on Monday have to work or do something else, so I'm really sorry."

The shock result means Sinner's run of 26 consecutive hard court wins is over and Alcaraz has now won eight ATP 1000 events.

Alcaraz, who has eight titles to his name in 2025, will travel to New York to play in the mixed doubles competition alongside Britain's Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.

More to follow..

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