Tennis – U.S. Open – Flushing Meadows, New York, United States – September 8, 2024 Italy’s Jannik Sinner celebrates with the trophy after winning his final match against Taylor Fritz of the U.S. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Jannik Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets to claim the 2024 US Open men’s singles title at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Sinner needed just two hours and 15 minutes to defeat Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in what was ultimately a one-sided affair.
Fritz, playing in his first grand slam final and looking to become the first American man to win a slam since Andy Roddick in 2003, made too many errors at important stages of Sunday’s final and struggled to cope with Sinner during lengthy baseline rallies.
The win marks a hardcourt slam double for Sinner, who also won the Australian Open title at the beginning of the year.
Sinner was remarkably consistent through Sunday’s final and produced roughly half the number of unforced errors as his opponent, although both players appeared to be playing the occasion during a tense and error-strewn opening set.
Fritz surrendered a break in his opening service game after sending a routine smash wide on break point before Sinner returned the favor three games later, mishitting a smash of his own on break point to hand Fritz a route back into the set.
The American couldn’t take the opportunity, despite the partisan backing of the Arthur Ashe crowd.
Fritz struggled to find any consistency on his first serve throughout the opening set, landing just 38% of his first serves in play. He also hit more than double the number of unforced errors as winners and struggled to build on the momentum of breaking Sinner’s serve and inching back ahead in the set.
The World No. 1 took full advantage, rattling off four games on the spin to take the opening set in just 41 minutes, sealing the set when Fritz characteristically sent a forehand long on set point.
Fritz, to his credit, addressed all of the issues that had surfaced in the first set during a peculiar second set that saw both players race through their service games without any fear of being broken.
Fritz’s first serve percentage rose to an impressive 78% during the lightning-quick second set. At the same time, he almost reversed the ratio of winners to unforced errors, hitting double the number of winners as unforced errors.
Crucially, however, he never came close to penetrating Sinner’s serve, despite the World Number 1 landing just 56% of his first serves in play.
Neither player even faced a deuce in each of the nine opening games of the set before Fritz blinked first while serving to stay in the set at 5-4.
Fritz’s first serve deserted him at a crucial time, and Sinner took full advantage, getting each of Fritz’s serves back in play and dominating from the baseline. He sealed the set with an emphatic backhand down the line that Fritz could only divert into the net.
In a statistic that underlines Sinner’s remarkable consistency, the World Number 1 produced just one unforced error in the second set while hitting seven winners.
The match appeared to be drifting to its inevitable conclusion when Sinner brought up to two break points on the Fritz serve midway through the third set after the American had produced a couple of characteristic long forehands.
In what felt like a turning point, Fritz saved both break points and sealed the game with a stinging forehand down the line that brought the Arthur Ashe crowd to its feet.
The partisan crowd had been looking for an opportunity to get behind the home favorite and seized at this apparent turning point, turning Arthur Ashe into a cauldron as Fritz brought up two break points of his own in Sinner’s next service game after some well-played points.
The pressure appeared to be getting to Sinner, who double-faulted to hand Fritz – and the Arthur Ashe crowd – a huge lift.
Just like the second set, however, Fritz’s first serve deserted him at a crucial stage.
Serving for the set, Fritz failed to find any consistency on serve and got entangled with several baseline rallies with Sinner. Facing break point, Fritz could only divert a Sinner backhand into the net to level up the set and unequivocally extinguish the spark of Fritz’s short-lived recovery.
Sinner held with ease before Fritz again failed to find his first serve while serving to stay in the match. The errors also began to take their toll, with a wild forehand volley bringing up championship point and a forehand into the net handing Sinner the title.
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