Taylor Fritz in action© AFP

A tearful Jannik Sinner dedicated his US Open title victory on Sunday to his aunt, who he revealed is battling serious ill health, admitting: “I don’t know how much longer I will have her in my life”. World number one Sinner, 23, clinched his second Grand Slam title of the season when he swept aside Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 before fighting back tears on the trophy podium. “I love tennis, I practice a lot for these stages but I realise that there is also a life away from the tennis courts and I would like to dedicate this to my aunt who is not feeling well,” said Sinner.

“I don’t know how much longer I will have her in my life. It’s nice I can still share these moments with her. She is an important person in my life and still is. 

Jannik Sinner dedicates his US Open title to his aunt pic.twitter.com/E2YTjGSRUf

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2024

“If there was a wish I could make I would wish good health on everyone but unfortunately it’s not possible.”

Sinner had arrived in New York under a cloud after it was revealed he had failed two drug tests but escaped sanction.

He was cleared of all wrong-doing although some fellow players questioned the decision, suggesting that Sinner may have benefitted from preferential treatment due to his high-profile status in the sport.

“This title means so much because the last period of my career was not easy. My team have supported me every day and thank you to the people who are close to me,” said Sinner.

“I’m happy and proud to spend this moment with my team. I’ve had so many big wins this season, starting in Australia and playing well to give me confidence for now.”

He added: “The work never stops. I know I can still improve but you have to be proud of what you have and then work for the rest.”

Sinner’s win shattered American hopes of a first home male champion at the majors in 21 years.

Andy Roddick was the last US man to win a Grand Slam title in New York in 2003.

Fritz, the first American man in a Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009, said he was determined to bounce back and claim a maiden major.

“It has been an amazing two weeks and first off congrats to Jannik, he played a great match. It’s really impressive. He was too good,” said the world number 12.

“Being an American at the US Open is just incredible, feeling the love all week.

“I know we have been waiting for a champion for a long time so I’m sorry I couldn’t get it done this time but I’m going to keep working and hopefully I’ll get it done next time so thank you.”

Jannik Sinner won his second Grand Slam title of 2024 on Sunday when he swept aside Taylor Fritz in the US Open final, shattering American hopes of a first male champion at the majors in 21 years. World number one Sinner, who won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open in January, became the first Italian man to triumph in New York with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory. For 23-year-old Sinner, it was a 55th match win of the season and sixth title. After his 21-year-old rival Carlos Alcaraz pocketed the French Open and Wimbledon titles to take his majors collection to four, the two men have cemented their places as the powerhouses of tennis’s new era.

“This title means so much,” said Sinner who arrived in New York under a cloud after it was revealed he had failed two drug tests but escaped sanction.

“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 court there is a life also and I want to dedicate this trophy to my aunt because she is not well and I don’t know how much longer I will have her in my life.

“She was a very important part of my life and still is. It’s nice to share this with her.”

World number 12 Fritz was bidding to be the first American man since Andy Roddick in New York in 2003 to win a major.

He was backed by A-list celebrity support amongst the 23,000-strong crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Pop queen Taylor Swift watched alongside boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce while Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey was hard to miss as he donned a Stars and Stripes headband.

“It has been an amazing two weeks. Congratulations to Jannik, he played a great match. He was very impressive and was too good today,” said Fritz.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get it done but I will keep working and I feel I will get it the next time.” 

Sinner raced to a 2-0 lead in the first set before Fritz settled and levelled for 2-2.

The 26-year-old American saved a break point on the back of an exhausting 23-shot rally in the fifth game but soon slipped 4-3 down.

Sinner pounced again with a third break to claim the opening set as Fritz fired a backhand long.

The two players had only dropped serve a combined 20 times over six rounds each at the tournament before Sunday’s final.

That strength shone through in the second set with the first nine games all service holds until the 10th.

Sinner then carved out two set points but only needed one, a deep forehand forcing Fritz into a desperate scramble before he buried his return limply in the net.

By that stage of the final, Sinner had committed just nine unforced errors to the 19 of Fritz in an a illustration of his control of the court.

Fritz, the first American man in any Grand Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009, saw three break points come and go in the first game of the third set.

But Sinner served up his fourth double fault of the final to hand Fritz a 4-3 lead.

With his back to the wall, the Italian top seed then broke back in the 10th game as Fritz served for the set and held for 6-5.

He went to two championship points when a disheartened Fritz ballooned a running forehand and sealed victory when the American netted.

US Open 2024 Men’s Final, Jannik Sinner vs Taylor Fritz LIVE: Sinner (left) and Fritz.© AFP

Taylor Fritz has a 1-1 head-to-head record against world no. 1 Jannik Sinner.© AFP

Taylor Fritz became the first American man since 2009 to reach a Grand Slam final on Friday, setting up a US Open title showdown against world number one Jannik Sinner. Fritz, the world number 12, twice fought back to defeat compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in his semi-final. Australian Open champion Sinner became the first Italian man to make the New York final with a 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 win over an ailing Jack Draper of Britain.

“He overwhelmed me at the start and I was freaking out a little,” said 26-year-old Fritz after securing victory with a 16th ace.

“I just told myself to stay in it, hold serve and apply scoreboard pressure.

“I did all I could to stay in it. If I hadn’t have done that I’d regret it forever. In the final, I will come out and give it everything.”

Andy Roddick was the last American to make a men’s singles final at the Slams at Wimbledon in 2009. He was also the last man from the country to capture a major title when he won the 2003 US Open.

Fritz was just five years old at the time.

Tiafoe was the better player for large parts of the semi-final but after dumping a lazy drop shot into the net to surrender the fourth set, his game fell apart.

In a 27-minute final set, Tiafoe won just nine points as he slumped to a second US Open semi-final loss in his last three visits.

Earlier, in a gruelling three-hour match, Draper, the first British man in the semi-finals since Andy Murray won the title in 2012, was undone by 10 double faults and 43 unforced errors.

He also vomited on the court, blaming anxiety for the illness.

“Jack and I know each other very well, we are great friends off court,” said Sinner, who unleashed 43 winners in the match where he also injured his wrist in a nasty fall.

“It was a very physical match. He’s so tough to beat so I’m excited to be in the final.”

The 23-year-old Sinner added: “In the final, it will be a very tough challenge. I’m happy to be in that position because if you are in the final on a Sunday it means you are doing an amazing job.”

World number 25 Draper vowed to work on overcoming his anxiety which sabotaged his hopes on Friday.

“When you play the top players, the intensity is different. It’s a step up. It was a big occasion for me. I definitely felt more nerves around,” he said.

“I’m quite an anxious human being. I think when you add all that together sometimes I do feel a bit nauseous on court, and I feel a little bit sick when it gets tough.”

Despite both men having been born in 2001, Sinner was playing in his 20th Grand Slam event.

Draper, plagued by ankle and shoulder troubles in the early stages of his career, was competing at the majors for just the 10th time.

“I try my best all the time to keep evolving, to keep learning, and it’s definitely something I’ve had to just work through my whole entire life,” added Draper of his struggles.

Earlier Friday, Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok became a Grand Slam champion, just two days after cancelling her wedding.

Kichenok, 32, teamed up with Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko to beat Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3 in the women’s doubles final.

On Wednesday, she had been planning to marry boyfriend Stas Khmarsky who is also Ostapenko’s coach.

But a run to the championship match for the seventh seeds meant the ceremony was temporarily shelved.

“My boyfriend and I were supposed to get married on Wednesday but it didn’t happen,” said Kichenok.

“We actually had the appointment but I was playing the semi-finals.”

Taylor Fritz and Emma Navarro reached their first Grand Slam semi-finals at the US Open on Tuesday, boosting home hopes of a double American title party this weekend. The 12th-seeded Fritz won a big-hitting battle against fourth-seeded 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev of Germany 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). He will face either American compatriot Frances Tiafoe or Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria for a place in Sunday’s final. Navarro, playing in front of her home New York crowd, also broke through to a maiden Slam semi-final by defeating Paula Badosa of Spain 6-2, 7-5 after trailing 5-1 in the second set.

The 13th seed will tackle second-ranked Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka who demolished China’s Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2 for a spot in Saturday’s championship match.

Zverev’s defeat means world number one Jannik Sinner is the only top-four player left in the men’s draw following the shock early exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

“I have had a few looks at Grand Slam quarter-finals over the years so I felt it was my turn to take a step further,” said the 26-year-old Fritz who cracked 12 aces amongst his 45 winners.

“It’s cool I’m in the semis. But I very much have the mindset of the job’s not done.”

On Tuesday, Fritz saw three set points come and go in the opener before sweeping through the tie-break.

Zverev, bidding to reach a ninth semi-final at the majors, levelled the tie but Fritz dug deep, converting a fifth set point in the third.

Zverev saved two break points in the sixth game of the fourth but once Fritz won a lung-busting 24-shot rally in the tie-breaker, he had the victory momentum.

“Terrible. Just absolutely terrible by me,” said Zverev. “I did nothing to deserve the win, simple as that.”

‘Complete disaster’

Navarro insisted she always believed she could claw her way back from her second set deficit against the New York-born Badosa.

“When I got to 5-2, I had an inkling that I’d win in two sets,” said Navarro who had lost in the first round on her only other two appearances at the tournament.

“I was a complete disaster today,” admitted Badosa after committing 35 unforced errors.

Zheng was bidding to become the third Chinese woman to reach the US Open semi-finals after Li Na in 2013 and Peng Shuai in 2014.

However, she was completely outplayed by Sabalenka in a 73-minute loss in which he hit just nine winners.

The 26-year-old Sabalenka, runner-up to Coco Gauff in New York last year, will be playing in her fourth successive US Open semi-final and ninth at the Slams.

Sabalenka also defeated Zheng at the same stage of the US Open in 2023 before going on to beat the 21-year-old again in the Australian Open final in January.

“It was important that I got the early break, that was an advantage because it’s tough to face her,” said Sabalenka.

Roddick legacy

Tiafoe and Fritz were only five when Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open final, a victory achieved on the cusp of the sport’s domination by the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.

That was the last time an American man lifted a Grand Slam singles trophy.

However, with Federer long retired, Nadal injured and Djokovic, as well as modern-day superstar Carlos Alcaraz, knocked out early this year, the final Grand Slam of the season is wide open.

World number 20 Tiafoe is in the quarter-finals for the third successive year having made the semi-finals in 2022 where he lost in five sets to eventual champion Alcaraz.

On Tuesday, under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights, the 26-year-old takes on Dimitrov who at 33 is the oldest man left in the draw.

The Bulgarian is seeking a second semi-final spot in New York after making the last four in 2019.

Taylor Fritz fought his way back from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in 4th round.© AFP