By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 6, 2024
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner dismantled doubles partner Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 to make history as the first Italian man to reach the US Open final.
Photo credit: Simon Bruty/US Open/USTA
NEW YORK—Controversy clouded Jannik Sinner at the start of this US Open.
Today, competitive character carried Sinner into his first US Open final.
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Delivering stinging shots and steely will, Sinner dismantled doubles partner Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 to make history as the first Italian man to reach the US Open final.
Australian Open champion Sinner scored his 10th straight win and will aim to bookend this season with Grand Slam titles on Sunday.
“Me and Jack know each other really well. We are good friends off the court,” Sinner told ESPN’s James Blake on court. “It was a very physical match as we see. I just tried to stay there mentally. He’s very tough to beat. Thanks everyone—the support has been amazing. I’m just happy to be in the final here.”
The top-seeded Sinner will carry a 34-2 hard-court record this season into Sunday’s final against a talented American—either 12th-seeded Taylor Fritz or 20th-seeded Frances Tiafoe. Sinner owns a 22-2 Grand Slam record in 2024.
“I’m just happy to be in the final,” Sinner said. “Whoever it is, it’s gonna be a very tough challenge for me. I’m just looking forward to it.
“I mean, we are in America, we are in New York playing against an American, so it's gonna be, for sure, the crowd a little bit more on their side. But it's normal. It's like when I play in Italy, no, it's a bit the same. So I'm gonna accept that.
"I have my team and my people who are close to me. In my mind, I know that there are many people watching from home from Italy, and it's just take some support from them."
Narrowing his focus on the ball, Sinner has achieved this final run nearly two weeks 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.
Today’s semifinal featured crackling rallies, Sinner lasering drives into the corners, some superb serve-and-volley from Draper, physical points and illness and injury striking both men. At one point during a second-set changeover, both men took treatment from the trainer, while the grounds crew cleaned up remnants of Draper’s vomit from behind the baseline.
On-court temperatures were only in the mid 70s, but it was a muggy day. Either humidity, the pressure of his first major semifinal or the physicality Sinner imposed—or all of the above—took a toll on Draper, who vomited three times on court. Draper stopped play a couple of times to clean up his spew with a towel during the second set.
Across the net, Sinner took a hard tumble to the court jamming his left wrist in the process and taking a visit from the trainer for treatment.
"The physio loosen it up very fast on court, so after I felt okay in the beginning," Sinner said of his wrist issue. "Then after it went away by playing, which is good.
"Let's see how it is tomorrow when it's cold. It's gonna be a different feeling. Hopefully is nothing to concern about. I'm quite relaxed, because if it's something bad, you feel it, no, straightaway a bit more. Yeah, let's see how it is."
The 22-year-old Draper said Sinner was tougher on punishing points.
"I think it was obviously a very physical match. Obviously that's why Jannik is No. 1 player in the world, because when you play the top players, the intensity is different," Draper said. "You know, it's a step up.
"I think obviously it's a big occasion for me. I definitely felt, even though I generally feel pretty relaxed and stuff, I definitely felt more excited today, a few more nerves around.
"I'm definitely someone who is, I think, quite an anxious human being. I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nausea on court, and I do feel a little bit sick when it gets tough."
One of four active men to reach semifinals or better at every Grand Slam, Sinner is the only man to contest quarterfinals or better at all four majors this season.
The lefty’s slider serve on the ad side has been a weapon throughout Draper’s inspired run to his maiden major semifinal.
Draper entered the semifinal having won 60 of 63 service games won, saved 25 of 28 break points and captured all 14 sets played.
Dialing in his returns, Sinner scored first break blood in the seventh game only to dump a double fault and net a few forehands to give back the break as Draper leveled at 4-all.
Wearing strapping around his right thigh, Draper wasn’t always launching up and out on serve. Draper spit up three double faults in the 11th game, including a double fault on break point gift-wrapping the break and a 6-5 lead.
Afterward, Draper said he started feeling ill in that 11th game.
"I definitely felt 5-All in the first set was a big game. Threw in a couple of double faults, I think it was deuce a few times," Draper said. "Then definitely when I came out for the first game in the second set he was trying to obviously get the break in the first game, and I managed to hold him off, but definitely was starting to not feel great in that moment."
This time, Sinner made the break stand. Sinner stamped his second love hold for a one-set lead after 56 minutes of play.
Intensity escalated in the second set as Draper dodged a break point when Sinner missed a backhand. The Briton held for 3-2.
The 22-year-old Draper vomited on court again while Sinner held to even the second set after eight games.
The pair produced a wildly entertaining point in the ninth game. Draper carved out a slick volley, Sinner ran it down then sprinted back to the baseline for a get where he jammed his left wrist tumbling to the court behind the baseline. When the point ended, Sinner walked to the side of the court and dropped his Head racquet while flexing the left wrist.
The left-hander held for 5-4 and on the ensuing changeover both men, looking like boxers needing medical attention after a series of brutal rounds, took treatment on the ensuing changeover.
The Australian Open champion had won 14 of his last 15 tiebreakers entering the second-set breaker today.
Sinner elevated in the extra session, while Draper looked depleted.
Whipping a pair of forehand winners, Sinner raced out to a 4-0 lead in the breaker.
Trying to squeeze shots closer to the lines to end points, Draper missed a pair of forehands handing Sinner set points a 6-1.
On his third set point, Sinner scalded a 115 mph serve down the T seizing a two-set lead after two hours, 25 minutes.
One challenge for Draper: Sinner was striking with conviction and had dropped serve just once in two sets.
A bigger dilemma for Draper: He had never comeback from a two-set deficit and was seemingly physically spent as he left the court to change his clothes, socks and shoes.
After about a seven-minute break, Sinner returned to hold.
A pained Draper was leaning on his Dunlop racquet as if it were a cane. Running down a drop volley, Sinner swooped forward bolting a backhand pass to break for 4-2 after two hours, 55 minutes.
World No. 1 Sinner belted a backhand return to close it in three hours, three minutes.