New York:
Jannik Sinner won his second Grand Slam title of 2024 on Sunday when he beat Taylor Fritz in the US Open final, dashing America’s hopes of a first male Grand Slam champion in 21 years.
World number one Sinner, who won his first title at the Australian Open last January, became the first Italian to win in New York with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
For the 23-year-old Sinner, it was the 55th match win of the season and sixth title.
After his 21-year-old rival Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon titles to take his Grand Slam collection to four, both men cemented their status as powerful forces in the new era of tennis.
“This title means a lot,” said Sinner, who arrived in New York under a cloud after it emerged that he had failed two drug tests but escaped punishment.
“The last period of my career has not been easy but I have my team and family who support me.
“I love tennis but off the court there is life too and I want to dedicate this trophy to my aunt because she is not feeling well and I don’t know how long I will have it in my life.
“She was a very important part of my life and still is. It’s nice to share that with her.”
Fritz, ranked 12th in the world, was seeking to become the first American since Andy Roddick in New York in 2003 to win a major tournament.
He was backed by A-list celebrity support among the 23,000 fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Queen of Pop Taylor Swift watched the show alongside her boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce, while Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey was hard to miss wearing a stars and stripes headband.
“It’s been a great couple of weeks. Congratulations to Yannick, he played a great game. He was very impressive and he was very good today,” Fritz said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get it done but I’ll keep working and I feel like I’ll do it next time.”
Sinner led 2-0 in the first set before Fritz settled in to level the score at 2-2.
The 26-year-old American saved a break point after a grueling 23-volley effort in the fifth game, but quickly fell behind 4-3.
Sinner rose again with a third break of serve to seal the first set after Fritz fired a long backhand.
Combined, the two players lost their serve only 20 times over six rounds each in the tournament before the final match on Sunday.
This strength appeared in the second set in the first nine games, and all serving strokes maintained their strength until the tenth.
Sinner then had two set points but needed only one, a deep forehand that forced Fritz into a desperate struggle before he slotted the ball into the net.
By that point in the final, Sinner had committed just nine unforced errors to Fritz’s 19 in an example of his dominance on the court.
Fritz, the first American to reach a Grand Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009, had three break points in the first game of the third set.
But Sinner committed his fourth double fault of the final to give Fritz a 4-3 lead.
With his back to the wall, the Italian top seed returned his opponent’s serve in the tenth game, serving Fritz to clinch the set and hold on 6-5.
He earned two points in the tournament when a frustrated Fritz fired a forehand winner to seal the victory when the American scored into the net.