NEW YORK — Jannik Sinner got off to a slow start at the U.S. Open, losing the first set he played after being cleared in a doping case that no one knew about until shortly before play began at Flushing Meadows.
Although the incident initially affected him during the tournament, he managed to overcome it while on court. The world No. 1 beat Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 with his usual baseline style to win the men’s singles title at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, less than three weeks after news broke of his two positive drug tests.
“This title means a lot to me, because the last period of my career was not easy at all,” said Sinner, 23, from Italy.
He won his second Grand Slam title of his young career – the other was at the Australian Open in January – and prevented 12th seed Fritz from ending a 21-year American men’s Grand Slam title drought.
Sinner is the fourth different man to win both the Australian Open and US Open in the same year since 1988, when the Australian Grand Slam switched from grass to hard courts. With Aryna Sabalenka also winning both the Australian and US Opens, this is the first time the same man and woman have won both hard-court titles in the same year since 1988 (Mats Wilander and Steffi Graf did that year).
Andy Roddick’s victory at Flushing Meadows in 2003 was the last title won by an American man. The last man to reach a Grand Slam final before Fritz, 26, from California, was Roddick, who lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
“Being an American at the US Open is incredible,” Fritz said at the awards ceremony. “I feel the love all week. So thank you so much. I know we’ve been waiting for a champion for a long time, so I’m sorry I couldn’t get it this time. But I’m going to keep working, and hopefully I can get it next time.”
Sinner set a new record by winning six titles in 2024, including 35 wins and two losses on hard courts, which are used at the Australian Open and US Open. He is the third player – and the first since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 – to win the first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
“I’ve had a lot of big wins this season. But the work never stops,” said Sinner, who took advantage of the first-round exits of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
The world learned on August 20 that Sinner had tested positive twice within an eight-day period for traces of the stimulant in March, but was cleared because his use was accidental – the banned substance had entered his system via a message from a team member who was later fired.
While some players wondered if he had received special treatment, most believed he was not trying to dope. U.S. Open fans were uncritical.
“We were going day by day… believing in ourselves, which is the most important thing,” said Sinner, who said an aunt was in poor health. “I understand, especially in this tournament, how important the mental side is.”
As expected, Fritz enjoyed the home advantage of a cool afternoon under a mostly cloudless sky. In a crowd of celebrities, including Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Travis Kelce, some spectators occasionally joined in chants of “USA!” between plays or rose to their feet whenever Fritz made what seemed like a crucial point.
Fritz isn’t the type to show much emotion beyond shaking his neon-colored racket, even after leading 3-2 after 20 minutes.
But once again, that point was Fritz’s last big moment until the match ended 3-3 in the third set, when he hit a big volley to go up 15-30, punched the air and shouted, “Let’s go!” to the cheers and applause of the crowd. After Fritz hit a big volley to earn a break point a minute later, he celebrated in the same manner, to the cheers of the thousands in the stands. Then Sinner double-faulted, and Fritz went up 4-3.
But when Fritz tried to close out the set at 5-4, Fritz gave up enough to allow Sinner to level the score with a break. Sinner used a drop shot to lure Fritz to the forecourt, then hit a quick shot that Fritz netted. Fritz’s racket clattered to the court. Sinner ran to the towel box, not even smiling.
After about ten minutes, Sinner had the win thanks to a series of four final games. When the match ended, Sinner raised his arms, threw his head back and closed his eyes.
Neither player seemed interested in going forward on Sunday unless forced to, instead hitting forehands and backhands from the back of the court. That is certainly Sinner’s domain.
By the end of the tournament, Sinner, the second Italian to win a singles title at the US Open, joining 2015 women’s champion Flavia Pennetta, had an impressive record: just 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Fritz, and 23 winners.
Early in the match, Fritz looked like he could stay competitive provided he showed his best form, especially on serve. He won 36% of his first serves, hit only two aces – a total he surpassed in the first game of the second set alone – and ended up committing more than twice as many unforced errors (12) as he made winners (five).
Those stats could improve on Fritz’s part, but he hasn’t found a way to consistently put Sinner in trouble. Few can do that these days.
“It was really impressive,” Fritz admitted. “It was really good.”
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
