By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, September 8, 2024
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner dissected American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in a powerful performance to capture his first US Open championship.
Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty
NEW YORK—Dancing on his toes behind the baseline, Jannik Sinner was a man in motion before the point began.
Even when the ball wasn't in play, Sinner was going places.
World No. 1 Sinner dissected American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in a powerful performance to capture his first US Open championship.
It is the second Grand Slam championship for Sinner, who bookends the Slam season winning the Australian Open and US Open championships.
"Amazing feeling," Sinner said. "Obviously it was a tough match. I felt like I was playing some good tennis from the back of the court. And, yeah, so I'm happy about today's performance."
The 23-year-old Sinner made his mark as the youngest man in Open Era history to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same season—and he’s the first world No. 1 to rule Flushing Meadows since top-ranked Rafael Nadal won his third of four career US Open titles in 2017.
Hall of Famer Andre Agassi presented Sinner with the US Open title trophy. The Italian, who collected a champion's check of $3.6 million, grew teary-eyed dedicating this title triumph to his aunt, who is battling an illness.
“This title for me means so much because the last period of my career was not easy,” Sinner told Ashe Stadium fans. “My team who supports me every day the people who are close to me. I love tennis, I practice a lot for this kind of stages, but I also realize off the court there is a life.
“I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt because she is not feeling well health wise. I don’t know how much I still have her in my life. It’s so nice that I can share positive moments with her still. She was a very important person in my life and she still is. If there is a biggest wish I wish the best health to everyone, but unfortunately it is not possible.”
A red-hot Sinner scored his 11th straight win, raising his 2024 hard-court record to an ATP-best 35-2 and improving his finals record to 6-0 on the season.
Sinner and archrival Carlos Alcaraz, who won successive Slams at Roland Garros at Wimbledon, split the major spoils this season marking the first time since 1993 all four major titles were won by men age 23-and-under.
This Flushing Meadows run was a test of Sinner’s tenacity and fortitude.
Before the open began, Sinner faced the media and adamantly denied he was a cheater after the ITIA announced he had twice tested positive for trace amounts of the banned steroid clostebol last March, but was found at "no fault" and therefore was not suspended. In his pre-tournament presser, Sinner repeatedly responded to questions about that anti-doping transgression.
"It was and it's still a little bit in my mind," Sinner said. "It's not that it's gone, but when I'm on court, I try to focus about the game, I try to handle the situation the best possible way, communication with the team, in practice courts. You know, at the end of the day we always try to improve as a player. That's why we practice for.
"So yeah, it was not easy, that's for sure, but in the other way I tried to stay focused, which I guess I've done a great job mentally staying there every point I play, and that's it."
On court, Sinner had all the answers throughout this tournament bracketing the Slam season with majors in distinctly different fashions.
In a topsy-turvy Australian Open final on January 28th, Sinner roared back from a two-set deficit defeating Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to capture his maiden major championship.
In Melbourne, Sinner made history as the first Italian to win the Australian Open singles crown and followed legendary Adriano Pannatta, the 1976 Roland Garros champion, as the first Italian man in 48 years to raise a Grand Slam title trophy.
Tonight, Sinner joined Flavia Pennetta (2015 champion) as the only Italian singles champions in US Open history.
Credit Fritz, who fought off compatriot Frances Tiafoe in a stirring five-set semifinal that spanned three hours, for knocking off three Top-20 seeds en route to his maiden major final. The stress of those battles drained the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick in 2009. Sinner went to work sending Fritz into obscure positions of the court.
“It’s been an amazing two weeks and first off congrats to Jannik, he played a great match,” Fritz said. “It’s really impressive. He was too good. It’s amazing.
“Being an American at the US Open is just incredible feeling the love all week. I know we’ve been waiting for a champion for a long time. I’m sorry I couldn't get it done this time, but I’m gonna keep working and hopefully I’ll get it the next time.”
Bidding to become the first American man to lift the US Open title trophy since Andy Roddick did it 21 years ago, Fritz received a massive cheer from the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Among the 24,000-plus fans in Ashe were Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, Noah Lyles, Courtney Cox, Jon Bon Jovi, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Anna Wintour and Andrew Garfield.
Hardly starstruck, Sinner scalded a forehand drive off the sideline starting the match with a statement shot.
World No. 12 Friz sent a bounce smash wide as Sinner broke to open.
The Australian Open champion was striking sweet drives that echoed around Ashe. A sometime slow starter, Sinner was working Fritz corner to corner confirming the break for 2-0.
Fritz issued a love hold to get on the board then broke back for 2-all when Sinner flattened a forehand drive volley into net.
Opting to stand and try to trade heavy drives with the top seed, Fritz’s first serve began to go MIA and he was coming up a step short in running rallies. Fritz double faulted to face two break points in the seventh game.
Backing up his opponent with deep drives, Sinner flicked a forehand drop shot to break for 4-2.
Attacking the American’s second serve, Sinner was commanding the center of the court forcing Fritz into stretched replies.
The Miami Open champion battered out errors earning triple break point on Fritz’s serve. When Fritz bashed a backhand long Sinner took a one-set lead on the strength of three service breaks.
A challenge for Fritz: Sinner was striking to all corners and covering the court comprehensively. A bigger issue, Fritz served just 38 percent in the set, including missing nine of his last 10 first serves. Sinner won 10 of 18 points played on Fritz’s second serve in that 41-minute opening set.
Striking his first serve with more precision, Fritz flowed through 16 of 18 service points staying in step through 4-4 of the second set.
All that good work on serve dissipated when Fritz served to extend the second set at 4-5.
Opening the game with successive errors, Fritz netted a backhand to fall into a double break point hole.
The pair went toe-to-toe in a pulsating baseline rally. Then Sinner stepped up and bolted a backhand down the line on the 14th shot. That shot splashed off the sideline sealing a two-set lead with his fourth break of the day.
Desperately needing to make a stand, Fritz burst out to a triple break point lead to start the third set.
Unfazed, Sinner denied all three break points charging to a two-set, 1-0 lead.
That stirring stand deflated Fritz, who had converted just one of six break points to that point. Former Indian Wells champion Fritz needed to show Sinner something different, but the American is not entirely comfortable at net and continued to take his cracks from the baseline.
“Bring the energy!” coach Mike Russell implored Fritz after his charge saved break point to hold for 3-all in the third set.
A committed Fritz showed signs of life and engaged the crowd prevailing in a wild all-court point that ended with a rare Fritz volley winner for break points. When Sinner spit up his third double fault, Fritz broke for 4-3—his first break since the first set.
When Fritz served for the third set, Sinner refused to yield. The American hit the baseline twice in a high-octane rally, but Sinner again tested Fritz’s legs with a drop shot as he broke back for 5-all.
"Put myself in a good position to win the third, but just, I mean, he played a good game when I went to serve it out," Fritz said. "But, yeah, that's just kind of how it goes, when you're playing, you know, he's the best player in the world right now. My plan A is not working. The plan B that I fall back on, you know, would normally be just like bringing everything in, being a little bit safer, grinding it out.
"That works, along with my serve, against a lot of other players, but against him, I tried to kind of bring it down, not be as aggressive, and he's just gonna bully me a little bit too much."
The world No. 1 earned double championship point when Fritz sailed a forehand swing volley.
On his first championship point, Sinner engaged in a 20 shot rally closing when Fritz flashed a forehand into net.
Sinner thrust his arms in the air taking the title in two hours, 16 minutes.
The tournament that began with a skittish Sinner dropping the opening set of his first-rounder to Mackenzie McDonald, ended with him sweeping 21 of of his final 22 sets in a commanding title run.
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Girlfriend Anna Kalinskaya greeted Sinner with a hug and a kiss in the player box as the world No. 1 looked every bit on top of the world.