Here’s Tumaini Carayol’s report from Flushing Meadows.
Sinner, the first Italian man to win the US Open, wishes Taylor Fritz the “best of luck for the future”.
“The last period of my career was not easy,” says Sinner. “I love tennis. But I realise there is a life outside. I want to dedicate this to my aunt. I don’t know how much longer I will have her in my life. She was an important person in my life. I wish everyone the best health but it’s not possible.
“I did pretty well, I guess. We just went day by day. I am very happy, very proud. I would like to thank everyone for being so fair. It was a huge pleasure. An incredible year, so many big wins and starting with Australia. The work never stops, you can always improve. I can’t wait for my continued process.”
First, the JP Morgan suit – a woman in a peach dress – hands him a cheque for $3.6m and then Agassi, who gets to say nothing, hands over the trophy. Then Taylor joins Sinner for the photo call.
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Taylor Fritz on being told it was a “win overall”. “He was too good,” he says of Sinner. He thanks his coach, including Paul Annacone of Tim Henman fame. He chokes up about “feeling the love. I’m sorry I didn’t get it done this time.
“You’re gonna get one,” says the clairvoyant MC.
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Here come the suits and Andre Agassi to carry out the ceremonials. Taylor Fritz looks a little unnerved by the words of the Flushing Meadows suit, they are rather rambling. And so does Jannik Sinner. Let’s have it right here: Sue Barker does this stuff far better. Tennis, the world’s healthiest sport, apparently.
Like the women’s final, all the gutsiness of the local hero could not stop the champion piling on towards a straight sets win.
Sinner goes to meet his people, and gets to celebrate with Seal, of all people, receiving a hug, if not a kiss from a rose. That follows his Australian success and, well, a recent difficulty that he has put behind him on the court at least. Sinner was too good for Fritz, who could never raise himself to the level needed to beat the Italian.
Jannik Sinner wins the US Open, his second Grand Slam of 2024
Sinner 6-3 6-4 7-5 *Fritz
East Anglian rock combo The Darkness can be heard as the two players take to the stage for a vital game. Can Fritz force a tie-break? He starts with a double. Some heavy Sinner artillery takes it to 0-30. Fritz then has the best of a rally, reading a drop shot and Sinner can only skid it into the net. Then Fritz misses a volley that was going desperately begging. Two Championship points…and Fritz nets after a long rally, beaten again by his opponent’s superior hitting.
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Sinner* 6-3 6-4 6-5 Fritz
Fritz in deep, pained conversation with his box. It’s soon 30-0 but a Fritz forehand is a beauty, and then comes a double fault. Fritz seems to have the better of a rally but then overdoes a baseline hit. No mercy shown as Sinner serves and volleys home. Sinner is just one game away now.
Sinner breaks back Fritz
Sinner 6-3 6-4 5-5 *Fritz
Relief for Fritz when Sinner almost makes a drop shot but hits the net cord for 15-15. Huge hitting, a change of speed, forces 15-30. Here come the nerves – and the cheers of encouragement. Big Fritz serve for 30-30. Then Sinner ups the ante and lands himself a break point, Fritz sent sprawling. Sinner then sends Fritz all over the coury with a mixture of power and deft, Fritz going ever close to the line and then netting.
Gary Naylor gets in touch: “I now realise that I missed my chance to be a tennis coach. I can sit in a box and shout “Keep going” “Great shot” “You got this” and “ One more now” for three hours.”
The Fritz team seem to favour this very approach.
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 4-5 Fritz
A double fault at 30-0 up for Sinner. Both players nervy right now. Fritz shows off his own nerves by overcooking a service return. Then when he has chance for a passing shot. Fritz will now serve for the third set.
Sinner 6-3 6-4 3-5 *Fritz
Fritz starts with his own double, Sinner right at the back of the court. The Italian then nets a forehand winner. Whoops. Then a backhand winner is missed. 30-15. Oh dear. Serve-volley for 40-15. Then a double. 40-30. He can’t afford his serve to fail. Then Fritz missed a forehand. Rims it. Oh no. Deuce. But then comes a big serve. Then another. Huge hold. Sinner must serve to save the third set.
Fritz breaks Sinner in the third set
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 3-4 Fritz
Sinner wins a long rally by moving to the net to volley home. Then Fritz wins the biggest rally of the match, drop shotting Sinner into oblivion. 15-30. Then wins another, and storms to the net. 15-40. It’s…on? It is! A double fault…
Sinner 6-3 6-4 3-3 *Fritz
Sinner is handed a gift on his forehand and goes to 15-0. Then Fritz rims one out of bounds for 15-30. Elon Musk is looking on and looking satisfied with himself. Fritz immediately makes another mistake. 15-40. Sinner fails to make more of a second serve. 30-40. Another second serve. Then, after a very long rally, it’s Sinner’s turn to go for broke and miss. Serve and volley takes Fritz to advantage. Then a huge hit to hold and the home fires are burning now. At last, the home crowd have something to cheer. Can he?
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 3-2 Fritz
Fritz sends Sinner scampering for once. But then can’t return the next serve. Or keep in his next return. Feels a long time since that first-set break…but a double is dropped by Sinner. He hits the towels, and as the ball bounces up, hooks the ball where Fritz can’t reach. Sinner shows he needed that one, a fist pump as he looks at his coaches.
Sinner 6-3 6-4 2-2 *Fritz
It’s 30-30 after a backhand error from Fritz, though there is relief when Sinner makes a mess of the next two points. A welcome hold for the home fans.
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 2-1 Fritz
Sinner clatters a backhand winner for 40-15. His work from the back of the court has been dominant, sending his opponent scrabbling
Sinner 6-3 6-4 1-1 *Fritz
Taylor’s team are cheering him on. He allows himself a Henman fist-pump at going 30-15 up. Another at 40-15. Big ace, and good hold. Audible relief from the crowd.
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 1-0 Fritz
0-30 – a chance for Fritz? The American is hitting big and now has three break points. Sinner sends him to SoHo then NoHo with some forehand missiles, and the wind can be heard whistling. A skidding serve saves those break points. Fritz betrays his emotions. Sinner, implacable, goes to advantage, and then scuttles to the net to force a hold. Poor Taylor.
Sinner breaks Fritz and wins the second set
Sinner* 6-3 6-4 Fritz
Sinner tries to take the pace out of Fritz’s service game, slicing returns, and it gains him success – to go to 0-30. Fritz pounds his response home for 15-30. The first serve is wobbling. And he nets to offer up two set points. That’s unfortunate. Long way back if he loses this..and he does, a brilliant backhand from Sinner and Fritz has no means of returning. Sinner dropped back, and as soon as Fritz’s standards dropped, he was done for.
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Sinner* 6-3 5-4 Fritz
Sinner prevails in a long rally for 15-0, Fritz sent all over New York, down to the Bowery and back. Lovely drop shot takes Sinner to 30-15, sliced Salt Bae at his finest. And while Fritz chases a break, he can’t keep his shots in bounds. He must now serve to save the second set.
Sinner 6-3 4-4 *Fritz
Noah Lyles is spotted in the crowd. Fritz’s serve is going well still. And he goes to 14 of 16 first serves in. Sinner looks almost mildly concerned as Fritz holds easily.
Sinner* 6-3 4-3 Fritz
Can Fritz put any pressure on the Sinner serve? A scooped backhand is inventive but flies out of bounds. And Sinner holds easily. We’re going with serve. Who will falter?
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Sinner 6-3 3-3 *Fritz
Service to love from Fritz. His service game has only dropped one point.
Sinner* 6-3 3-2 Fritz
“Aargh,” says Fritz as he crumps the ball into the net for 30-15 to his opponent. More anguish as the next point is clattered away. The next point sees a service return heading towards the balconies where the other Taylor is sitting.
Sinner 6-3 2-2 *Fritz
Big serving from Fritz, the first serve is clicking and a service to love game results.
Sinner* 6-3 2-1 Fritz
Hello, a glimmer from Fritz for 15-30 and Sinner takes time to wipe the sweat from his racquet. Big serve, crashing forehand and 30-30. Next comes a skidding serve to send Fritz sprawling. Then a big second serve for another hold. The thin lad from the Tyrol doesn’t scare too easily.
Sinner 6-3 1-1 *Fritz
Good service game from Fritz – to start with – and then he tempts Sinner into a drop volley battle that the American loses. A skidder out wide means a nice hold for the Californian.
Sinner* 6-3 1-0 Fritz
A strong start, and Taylor Fritz must know how Jack Draper felt. Sinner can strangle opponents, and he does so with a huge forehand to serve out to love.
Sinner takes the first set 6-3
Sinner 6-3 *Fritz
At 0-40, Sinner has three set points, and Fritz is wobbling. He saves two, the second a gaping winner that Sinner overheats, and crashes out. Fritz has two second serves and then fails to keep in Sinner’s return. The speed with which Sinner took hold was worrying for Fritz. His service game needs a huge improvement.
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Sinner* 5-3 Fritz
Sinner makes sure that break will count.
Sinner 4-3 *Fritz
Uh oh, Fritz coughs up a break.
Sinner* 3-3 Fritz
It’s quickly 30-30, with Sinner’s momentum lacking until he cranks one of those forehands home. That will be key to winning, if he does. Fritz makes an error on the next point and that ends up the easiest hold for some time.
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Sinner 2-3 *Fritz
Fritz’s chance to seize control? He ends up facing down a break point, and the longest rally of the match sees the ball go out and it saved. The line was embraced by both players. Big serve at deuce from Fritz. Then Sinner is chased all over the court. Fritz believes, and so does the home crowd. He’s won three games in a row.
Fritz breaks back...
Sinner* 2-2 Fritz
Fritz gaining a foothold at 15-30, and then 15-40. A clanking serve saves the first of two break points. The second is saved by a clawing baseline hit from the baseline. Then a huge serve followed by another forehand missile. Too good? No, next comes a double fault, and then Fritz benefits from a Sinner miss at the net. Long night ahead.
FURTHER BREAKING NEWS: Patrick Mahomes is with Taylor and Travis, the latter wearing a bucket-hat, getting ready for the Oasis reunion.
Sinner 2-1 *Fritz
Better from Fritz, far better with his own service to love game.
Sinner* 2-0 Fritz
Sinner, though a tall man, is far more wiry and mobile. At 30-0 up, he top spins a winner home. Fritz has to ride out an early storm. The first service game served out to love.
Sinner lands an early break!
Sinner 1-0 *Fritz
Sinner begins at a rate, a crushing backhand return, and then goes to 0-30. Big cheers as Fritz wins his first point, but two break points. The first is saved after a long rally, Sinner defending well on his backhand. And then Fritz makes a mess of an overhead after a beauty of a return from a zinging first serve.
BREAKING: The other Taylor is here. And no, it’s not Dennis.
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And away we go
Sinner elected to receive, having won the toss. It’s windy and the roof is OFF.
Sinner has been playing under something of a cloud but is playing after being cleared.
The warmups are done.
Taylor Fritz speaks. “I am really excited, I love these moments.”
So does Jannik Sinner: “I feel like every final is different, I am happy to be here. The crowd has been amazing, very fair. I am looking forward to play an American, it’s New York, it’s normal.”
Fritz enters to the Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, and now Jannik Sinner to the Chemical Brothers. So now begins the warmup, the knockup, and the toss. Fritz towers over Sinner who does some jumps to be taller.
The formalities begin with a gospel-tinged performance of God Bless American by Ruben Studdard. The Stars and Stripes being stretched out across the court as the crowd starts to pile into the Arthur Ashe.
The sleb count to follow JonBon into the cushioned seats: Courtney Cox, Matthew McConaughey, Jayson Tatum, Usher and whispers of “Taylor Swift and Travis”…why does Fran Healy get an invite? Is it because he lied when he was 17?
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Both players will know they’ve got to hold on, ready or not, it doesn’t make a difference if they make it or not.
Bon Jovi describes the the similarities between rock stars and tennis players via Howard Stern aka @themattfriend. pic.twitter.com/I4tSKLrBdd
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2024
Head to head:
Fritz and Sinner have faced each other twice on the ATP Tour, both meetings at the Indian Wells.
In 2021, the Fritz won in straight sets - 6-4, 6-3 - in the last 16 in California. In 2023, Sinner won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 - in the quarter-finals.
Via the official site:
Sinner
Seed/Rank: 1/1
Best US Open Result: F (2024)
Previous Best US Open Result: QF (2022)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2024 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 18-2
Time Spent on Court: 14 hours, 20 minutes
Fritz
Seed/Rank: 12/12
Best US Open Result: F (2024)
Previous Best US Open Result: QF (2023)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2024 US Open)
Previous Best Grand Slam Result: QF (2022 Wimbledon, 2023 US Open, 2024 Australian Open, 2024 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 18-4
Time Spent on Court: 15 hours, 27 minutes
It’s been an eventful fortnight plus, and here’s the best photos.
How they got to the final.
Tumaini Carayol on Fritz, seeking to follow on from Andy Roddick.
Preamble
For the second night in a row, Flushing Meadows will be cheering on an American underdog. San Diego’s Taylor Fritz has battled his way to his first Slam final, where he will take on a player who looks capable of being able to compete with Carlos Alcaraz in the post-Big Three era. Though not without controversy. On the court, Sinner dealt rather stealthily with plucky Brit Jack Draper and will want to follow up his Australian Open. Fritz, like Jessica Pegula last night, will give his all to win in front of star-filled crowd. Will it be enough? That’s what we’re here to find out.
They go at 7pm UK time, 2pm in New York minutes.
