The US Open started on a high note but ended on a high note for Italian Jannik Sinner, who easily defeated American Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday 8 September in New York in three sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-5). After just 2 hours and 16 minutes of play.
The world number one, rocked just over two weeks ago by the controversy that arose following the revelation of his whitewashing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) following two positive tests in March – ultimately deemed to be linked to contamination – thus won his first US Open, and the second Grand Slam of his career, after the Australian Open in January.
As Fritz’s final ball found its way into the net, Sinner initially looked more relieved than happy. With his arms raised, eyes closed, head thrown back, then a long look towards his box before greeting his opponent, the Italian was probably reminded of the comments and criticism that accompanied the ITIA revelations, with several players decrying the opacity of the process and the sense of two-tiered anti-doping justice depending on their status.
“It means a lot to me, it hasn’t been easy lately. I was able to lean on my team every day and on my family. I love tennis, but I also realize the importance of what happens off the court. My aunt is not feeling well at the moment, I dedicate my title to her. She is an important person in my life.”he explained.
Control over world tennis
Like Aryna Sabalenka among the women, Sinner thus won the two Majors of the season on hard courts – at 23 years old, he is the youngest player to achieve this feat – and confirmed his control over world tennis, while Carlos Alcaraz, winner of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon, was eliminated in the second round of the tournament, and Novak Djokovic in the third.
“Congratulations Jannik! You deserve it! Enjoy the moment”Alcaraz immediately congratulated him on platform X, fair play.
Relentless, Sinner left no chance for Fritz, who dreamed of becoming the first American to lift a major men’s trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, in a star-studded Arthur-Ashe Stadium, including pop queen Taylor Swift and fellow football star Travis Kelce.
“I know we’ve been waiting for a winner for a long time, so I’m sorry we didn’t get one.”Taylor Fritz apologized to the audience while holding back tears.
“My year is amazing”
In this final, Jannik Sinner quickly set the tone by seizing the opponent’s serve from the first game. Then, broken, he concluded the first set with a new break point at 5-3, taking advantage of the insufficient quality of Fritz’s serve (38% on first serves, 12 unforced errors).
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Sinner, a master of exchanges, did it again in the second set, jumping on his first break point at 5-4, while the American had lifted the cursor (78% of first balls, 7 faults).
The world number one, very clean (21 unforced errors in total), impassively erased three consecutive break points in the first game of the third set. However, he was broken (4-3), allowing Fritz and the stadium to light up for a few minutes. The American served for the set at 5-4 but, as if not responding to the pressure, Sinner called off the break and claimed victory.
Sinner won his sixth title of the year in New York, the best of anyone, after the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Halle and the Masters 1000 in Miami and Cincinnati. He is also unbeaten in finals this season.
“My year has been amazing. I had a lot of important wins, including in Australia, where I played very well, which gave me confidence until today. I can still improve things. We have to work for the titles, I can’t wait to continue this process.”he said after his victory.
Sinner became the first world number one to win at Flushing Meadows among men since Rafael Nadal in 2017, and the first Italian to lift the trophy in New York. And the horizon seems clear.
