The final match of the US Open men’s singles took place on Sunday, September 8. The decisive match was between world number one Jannik Sinner and ATP number 12 Taylor Fritz.
The tennis community assumed that it would not be easy for Jannik Sinner at the TBS in New York, because the athlete had to deal with criticism and the barrage of hatred that fell on him due to the doping scandal. But, apparently, this did not put much pressure on him. On the way to the face-to-face confrontation with Fritz, the Italian lost only two games. This happened at the start of the current tournament, namely in the meeting with the owner of the court Mackenzie McDonald (2:6, 6:2, 6:1, 6:2) and in the quarter-final battle with the fifth racket of the world Daniil Medvedev (6:2, 1:6, 6:1, 6:4).
It is true that the semi-final battle with the British Jack Draper was not an easy road for the world number one. Yes, Yannick beat his opponent without losing the set (7:5, 7:6 (7:3), 6:2), but at the end of the ninth game of the second set, running after the ball, he landed unsuccessfully on his left hand, Sinner grabbed his hand and wrapped it with a towel. It was clear that the Italian was in a lot of pain. A time-out was even called!
By the way, Yannick’s statistics this season are astonishing. He already has 54 wins with just five losses in 2024. Let’s add that Sinner became the first Italian tennis player to reach the US Open singles final.
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Taylor, in turn, defeated Camilo Hugo Carabelli, Matteo Berrettini, Francisco Comesagna, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Francis Tiafoe on local courts. Thanks to his victory over the latter, Fritz became the first American tennis player in the last 15 years to reach the final of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Before Taylor, the last person to do this was Andy Roddick, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2009.
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What Sinner and Fritz said before the new face-to-face confrontation
The result of the personal matches is the same: 1-1. The two previous times they also played in the USA, at the Indian Wells Masters. In the fourth round of 2021, Fritz won 6:4, 6:3, and in the quarterfinals of 2023, Sinner was stronger by 6:4, 4:6, 6:4.
In anticipation of the new face-to-face battle that will take place in New York, Taylor had the following to say.
“Playing against the world number one is never easy, but I always felt good when we faced each other. As if his speed of play was good for me, I usually play well with him. I enjoyed our matches throughout.
“I have the feeling that on Sunday I will go out on the court, play very well and win. When I show my best tennis, I consider myself worthy of being a Grand Slam champion,” the tennis player quotes Punto de Break.
And this is how Yannick spoke about his problem areas ahead of the 2024 US Open final.
“My weak points? Definitely in the net game. Sometimes I miss volleys. Also, the choice of shots. I think I could have played better in some moments. Of course, my team and I know the areas that need to be improved. For example, today we should go to the net more often. It’s a matter of time. I have lost matches by doing everything right and sometimes I have won by not playing as well as I could. That’s why you always have to talk to the team and try to find a balance,” Sinner said in the press conference after the victory over Draper.
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New battle
The start of a new confrontation was left to the world’s first noise. At first he made a break and brought his serve to zero (2-0). In the fourth game, on the third attempt, Taylor managed to put pressure on his opponent and achieved a reverse break – 2:2. In the seventh game, the Italians made another break and went ahead 4:3. And with the score 5:3 in his favor, Yannick again took another’s serve for 6:3 in 41 minutes. Let’s add that it was Sinner who regularly fought on the reception and had the advantage in the game on the baseline.
It is noteworthy that the final match in New York was attended by many stars, including Elon Musk, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bon Joey, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey. Russian tennis player Anna Kalinskaya also came to cheer on the representative of Italy. But the girlfriend of American Taylor Fritz was also there! Morgan Riddle actively supported her boyfriend.
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Sinner won the US Open title! Anna Kalinskaya cheered Yannick on in the stands. LIVE!
Maria Sharapova
Photo: John Nation/Getty Images
In the opening game, the owner of the courts had a very low percentage of first-ball hits, but in the second game the world number 12 confidently held his games for a long time. Taylor’s first-ball percentage was very high. However, Sinner managed to realize this at the end: Fritz made a couple of mistakes and Yannick performed impeccably on the baseline. The winner of the 2024 Australian Open played very cleanly and deservedly put the second set behind him 6:4.
Photo: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
The third set turned out to be very bright and rich in various plot twists. In the first game of the third set, Fritz earned a triple break point, but Sinner repelled all threats and took the lead 1:0. Then the athletes held their serves. With the score 3:3, Yannick earned a double break point and could easily reach the finish line, but he did not use his chances. “If you don’t break, you get broken” – a rule that smoothly flowed from football to tennis. Already in the next game, the local favorite clearly showed how to use break points wisely and at the first attempt he took someone else’s serve 4:3. Then Taylor confirmed the break, but with the score 5:4 in his favor, the American could not serve for the match. The ATP ranking leader achieved a reverse break 5:5. Then Sinner could not be stopped anymore. He won two more games in a row, defeating his opponent 6:3, 6:4, 7:5 in 2 hours and 17 minutes and winning the 2024 US Open title.
The first thing Yannick did after her victory was run to the stands to greet her team. As a reward for winning the US Open, the Italian received not only a trophy, but also a kiss from Anna Kalinskaya.
Thus, Jannik Sinner:
– He became the first Italian to win the TBS American men’s singles;
– He became the third tennis player in the Open era to win his first 2 TBS in the same season after Connors (1974) and Vilas (1977);
– 10-0 in head-to-head against Americans in 2024 and 45-1 against non-top 10 players this season (27-0 on hard) – the Italian suffered the only such defeat halfway through the Monte Carlo Masters from Tsitsipas;
— He became the fifth active tennis player on the ATP circuit after Djokovic (24), Nadal (22), Alcaraz (4) and Wawrinka (3), who has several Slam titles under his belt;
– He became the fourth tennis player to win the Australian Open and the US Open in the same season since these TBS have been played on hard courts (Djokovic – three times, Federer – three times, Wilander – in 1988);
– This is only the third time in the Open era that all major tournaments in the same calendar year have been won by players aged 23 or younger (Sinner won the AO at the age of 22 in the 2024 season, Alcaraz won Roland Garro and Wimbledon at the age of 21 in the 2024 season);
Who was successful before: 1974: Australian Open – Connors (21), Roland Garros – Borg (18), Wimbledon – Connors (21), US Open – Connors (22).
1993: Australian Open – Courier (22), Roland Garros – Bruguera (22), Wimbledon – Sampras (21), US Open – Sampras (22)
– He became the eighth US Open champion to win the tournament as world number one after Connors (1974, 1976, 1978), McKinroe (1981, 1984), Lendl (1986, 1987), Sampras (1996), Federer (2004 – 2007), Djokovic (2011, 2015), Nadal (2010, 2017).
The US Open has come to an end. You can follow all the events of this tournament in the “Championship”.
