Match Report
Sinner extends 2-set lead over Fritz in US Open final
World No. 1 aims for second major title
September 8, 2024
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner competes in the first set against Taylor Fritz in the US Open final on Sunday.
By Andy West
Yannick Sinner is in a strong position to stop Taylor Fritz from winning his first Grand Slam title at home after taking a two-set lead in their US Open championship match on Sunday.
The excited home fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium cheered Fritz, the first American men’s singles finalist at Flushing Meadows since 2006, but Sinner skillfully calmed the mood by playing clinically to win 6-3, 6-4. He delivered an authoritative forehand winner on the first point of the match, leading to an opening break of serve, and Fritz recovered the break to level the score at 2-2, but the world No. 1 continued to dominate the first set.
Sinner’s intention to move Fritz left and right and prevent him from standing in the middle of the court and throwing the ball was clear from the first game. With Fritz hitting 11/29 first serves in the opening set, the Italian broke the American’s balls again in the seventh and ninth games to take the lead.
Fritz found a better rhythm behind his biggest weapon, his serve, in the second set, but was broken in a sloppy 11th game when Sinner took the first break point of the set at 15/40. The Italian needed only one of those, and he blasted a backhand down the line that Fritz hit into the net to come within a set of becoming the first Italian men’s singles champion in US Open history.
2nd set: secured ✅
Sinner gets one step closer to the title 🏆@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/VuqYDGJcMO
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 8, 2024
Sinner is looking to become the fourth player to win the Australian Open and the US Open on hard courts in the same season, following Mats Wilander, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The world No. 1 has enjoyed a remarkable 2024, winning a tour-leading five titles and amassing a 54-5 record. He won 10 straight matches heading into Sunday’s match against Fritz after winning the ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati in his most recent tournament before the US Open.
Fritz is trying to become the first American to win a major title since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open. The 26-year-old, who reached his first major final by defeating compatriot Francis Tiafoe in five sets, is also seeking a first win over the PIF ATP No. 1 at the ninth attempt.
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Taylor Fritz participates in the first set of her US Open Championship match on Sunday. Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
The American will be hoping a star-studded crowd, including celebrity couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, can inspire a comeback at the third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Sinner. Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actors Matthew McConaughey, Dustin Hoffman and Eddie Redmayne, and singers Usher and Bon Jovi are also among those watching the title match at the final major of the 2024 season.
