by Amy Tennery
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jannik Sinner produced a brutal display of core strength to become the first Italian to win the US Open with a 6-3 6-4 7-5 win over American Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday.
Sinner celebrated with his arms in the air after Fritz clinched the title, and although the home fans hoped to see Fritz end a 21-year US men’s Grand Slam drought, cheers erupted at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sinner was under a cloud of controversy at the start of the tournament following revelations that he had twice tested positive for an anabolic agent in March but avoided a ban when an independent tribunal accepted that the positive tests were the result of deliberate contamination.
The top seed held off the buzz in New York and won his second Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open earlier this year.
“We were just going day by day, trying to train well even on days off, we believe in ourselves, that’s the most important thing. I realized how important the mental part is in this sport, especially in this tournament,” he said. Guilty.
“I would like to thank everyone for doing justice in this amazing arena. It was a great pleasure.”
Fritz got off to a scary start when he broke Sinner with an unforced error in the first game, but settled his nerves, came back in the fourth game and survived 23 shots to hold a break point in the fifth.
But it was only a matter of time before the Italian hit his stride and he broke the 12th American with a perfectly placed shot in the seventh game. Fritz dropped his serve again at the appointed point.
The home crowd, which included pop megastar Taylor Swift, chanted “USA!” tried to raise Fritz with his slogans. in the second set.
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However, the momentum swung in Sinner’s direction as he broke Fritz from a forehand point and caused more misery for the American when he broke back from triple break point in the opening game of the third set.
Fritz stuck with it and even went into the break, but slammed her racket onto the court in frustration when she hit a volley into the net to allow Sinner to come back in the 10th minute.
Sinner broke for the sixth time in the contest to wrap up the win, before Fritz slid a forehand into the net on match point.
The fans chanted “Bravo!” “This title means a lot to me because the last period of my career was really not easy,” said Sinner, who climbed into the stands to celebrate with his team as he shouted. around him.
With US great Andre Agassi on court for the presentation ceremony, Fritz told the crowd: “I know we’ve been waiting for a champion for a long time, so I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this time.
“But I’ll keep working and hopefully I’ll get it next time.”
The victory capped a blockbuster year for Sinner, who won in straight sets at Melbourne Park and won in Miami and Cincinnati.
The world number one leaves New York with an impressive 55-5 win-loss record on the year, leaving the likes of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in his wake.
“I’ve had so many big wins for me this season, starting with Australia and playing so well there, it’s given me confidence so far,” he said.
“But the work never stops. I know I can still improve because we saw a few things today, but you have to be proud of what you have.”
