Jannik Sinner tops Taylor Fritz to win US Open, his 2nd major

NEW YORK — World No. 1 Jannik Sinner arrived in New York greater than two weeks in the past going through a slew of questions and scrutiny over the information that he had been exonerated and averted suspension after twice testing constructive for a banned substance in March.

His expectations for the US Open had been “low,” he stated firstly.

However he leaves as a champion, having left little doubt about his standing as the most effective hard-court participant in 2024.

Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, gained the US Open on Sunday behind a dominant 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 effort in opposition to American Taylor Fritz in entrance of a vigorous, celebrity-filled Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that was largely in opposition to him. There have been “U-S-A” chants and “Let’s go, Taylor” cheers all through, however Sinner was unfazed. He did not drop a single level on his first serve over the ultimate two units of the match.

“He was too good,” the No. 12-seeded Fritz stated in the course of the on-court trophy presentation. He later known as Sinner “the most effective participant on this planet proper now.”

Having collected his first main title on the Australian Open in January, Sinner turned the third man — and first since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 — to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the identical season. He is additionally the second Italian participant to win a singles title on the US Open, becoming a member of 2015 girls’s champion Flavia Pennetta.

For Sinner, the victory marked an emotional finish to a difficult few months. The world discovered on Aug. 20 that he examined constructive for a hint quantity of clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid, twice in an eight-day span in the course of the Indian Wells event, however was cleared as a result of his use was dominated unintentional — his protection was that the steroid entered his system through a therapeutic massage from a group member he later fired.

“[It] was troublesome as a result of the pre-tournament circumstances weren’t simple,” Sinner stated Sunday. “I felt that I’ve grown match by match and that my confidence stage went greater and better … I am completely happy how I dealt with this one. I am simply excited to have this trophy with me.”

Sinner has confronted questions all through the event in regards to the doping case and what adopted. A number of gamers questioned the equity of the ruling and contemplated whether or not he had acquired particular therapy on account of his No. 1 rating.

Sinner, for his half, known as the state of affairs a “mistake” and was adamant about his innocence and that he went by means of the “similar course of” as everybody else.

Regardless of the information, Sinner was for essentially the most half warmly acquired by the New York crowd all through his run. Even in the course of the ultimate, dozens of Italian flags had been noticed within the crowd, and his highlight-worthy factors had been met with loud ovations.

After struggling within the opening set of his first match in opposition to American Mackenzie McDonald, Sinner confirmed little weak spot the remainder of the best way. He dropped only one extra set — in opposition to 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev within the quarterfinals — en path to the title.

Fritz, a 26-year-old Californian who was taking part in in his first main ultimate, opened with an early 3-2 lead, however Sinner responded by profitable the subsequent 4 video games to take the set and management of the match.

Within the third set, with the rating tied at 3-all, Fritz confirmed indicators of life with an overhead winner within the seventh recreation for a 15-30 lead on Sinner’s serve. He yelled “Let’s go!” to the delight of the gang, most of whom rose to their toes in appreciation. Fritz finally secured the break and took the subsequent recreation on his serve for a 5-3 lead.

However he could not shut out the set. Sinner nearly clinically rattled off the subsequent 4 video games — every level more and more silencing the gang — to safe the win.

When it was over, Sinner raised his arms above his head and closed his eyes as he tilted his head again. These in his participant field jumped to their toes whereas Darren Cahill, considered one of his coaches, slumped over in his seat and wiped away tears.

“This title, for me, means a lot,” Sinner informed the gang as he collected the trophy from Andre Agassi, “as a result of the final interval of my profession was actually not simple.”

“I really feel just like the followers clearly, American followers, been wanting a males’s champion for a very long time, and … I am fairly upset with how I performed. I really feel like, I do not know, I really feel like I nearly let lots of people down.”

Taylor Fritz

Sinner, throughout his postmatch information convention, credited his group and household for protecting him targeted regardless of every part happening off the court docket.

“What allowed me to do this was at all times the people who find themselves near me every day, individuals who know me already from after I was very younger, and in addition my household and my group and everybody who helps me every day,” Sinner stated. “I at all times attempt to stick along with them, particularly when the moments are getting troublesome and difficult, as a result of I do know that they will help me in these moments.”

Sinner is the fourth completely different man to win each the Australian Open and US Open in the identical 12 months since 1988, when the Australian main transitioned from grass to laborious court docket. With Aryna Sabalenka having swept each the Australian Open and US Open, too, it is the primary time that the identical man and the identical lady gained each hard-court majors in the identical 12 months since 1988 (Mats Wilander and Steffi Graf did in order that 12 months).

It additionally marked a turning level within the males’s recreation as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, 21, mixed to win all 4 of the 12 months’s main titles. It is the primary season since 2002 that no member of the “Large Three” — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — gained a Slam.

Sunday was a devastating outcome for Fritz, who had been trying to snap a 21-year main singles title drought by American males. Andy Roddick’s win on the 2003 US Open was the final time an American man gained a Grand Slam, and Fritz was the primary American man to succeed in a serious ultimate since Roddick completed because the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2009.

“There’s clearly a number of positives, and after I get a while to chill down then I will be completely happy about the truth that I made it to the finals,” Fritz stated. “However proper now I am fairly disillusioned in simply a number of issues on the court docket, how I performed, how I hit sure pictures. It sucks.

“And I am not saying that it essentially would have made a distinction. I do not know if it might have, however I simply would have favored to have performed higher and given myself a greater probability. It is actually disappointing proper now. … I really feel just like the followers clearly, American followers, been wanting a males’s champion for a very long time, and … I am fairly upset with how I performed. I really feel like, I do not know, I really feel like I nearly let lots of people down.”

Regardless of the heartbreak of the ultimate, Fritz continues to be having a breakthrough 12 months. He turned the primary American man to succeed in three main quarterfinals in a season since Roddick (2007) and the primary to make the second week in all 4 Slam occasions since Agassi in 2003.

Together with his run to the championship match, Fritz will now transfer again into the highest 10 within the rankings at No. 7.

Sinner now has a 4,105-point lead over new No. 2 Alexander Zverev. Djokovic, the 2023 champion at Flushing Meadows who was upset within the third spherical, falls to No. 4 behind Alcaraz.

ESPN Analysis and The Related Press contributed to this report.