The world number 1 is the favourite for the men’s final on Sunday (8 p.m. in France), against Taylor Fritz, a novice at this stage of the competition.
The stakes
First final for Sinner on the courts of Flushing Meadows. As a pioneer. He is thus the first transalpine to reach the last step in the Big Apple. After his coronation at the beginning of the year at the Australian Open, the Italian can also become the first player to conquer his first two major titles in the same season since Guillermo Vilas in 1977. A great performance well within his capabilities. He who remains on 11 consecutive victories and has not lost a final this year (5 out of 5). As boss.
At home, the outsider Taylor Fritz will be able to count on the support of the New York public and the 23,000 spectators at the Arthur-Ashe stadium. The event is a big one. Since 2006 and Andy Roddick, this is the first time that a representative of Uncle Sam has played in the final of the American Grand Slam. Fritz will attempt the feat of becoming the first US player to win a Major (men’s) since the same Roddick at the same venue in 2003. And it is still the same Andy Roddick, who remains the last American finalist of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon, in 2009 (defeat against Federer).
Their CV
In an attempt to dust off the history books, Taylor Fritz is going to have to make a big move. On paper, he clearly doesn’t have the odds in favor. At 26, the 12e world player, who gravitates around the 10e place for two years, must “make do” with eight titles in total since 2019, including two this year. His most prestigious trophy is the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells won in 2022. The 26-year-old American, who was 5e world in February 2003, had never before gone beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. A milestone has been reached. But the Sinner step is high.
The 23-year-old Italian, who opened his Grand Slam tally in Melbourne last January, has only lost two matches this season (34 wins, including 22 in Grand Slams). Along with Alcaraz (winner of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon), he is clearly the best player of the year. For almost a year now, he has been the boss. He has won 68 of his last 75 matches, between the 2023 US Open and the 2024 US Open. He has won seven titles over the period, including a Grand Slam, two Masters 1000 and four ATP 500, not to mention the Davis Cup. A sign of his current confidence? He has won 13 of the last 14 tie-breaks he has played. Stats worthy of a Djokovic.
Their journeys
Sinner’s US Open began with controversy. The revelation of his positive test for clostebol, which occurred this year in Indian Wells and for which he was cleared. Unfazed or almost. The Italian did the job even if he didn’t play his best tennis. After a false start in his first round against Alex Michelsen where he was down a set, a break, he has already dominated two other American players, Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul. He won without trembling, in the quarter-finals in four sets, the clash against the Russian Daniil Medvedev, winner of the tournament in 2021. And he upheld his rank against the surprise Jack Draper 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 in a first semi-final, very forgettable, in terms of spectacle. Confidence at full speed. It remains to be seen what state his left wrist is after calling on the physio against Draper in the semi-final.
Taylor Fritz, was able to take advantage of the premature elimination of the defending champion Novak Djokovic and put in some great performances. The number 12 seed eliminated Casper Ruud in four sets in the 8th and then Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. In difficulty, he was able to overthrow his compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the last four (4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1).
Face to face
The last match between the two men was won by Jannik Sinner in pain in the quarterfinals at Indian Wells 2023 (6-4, 4-6, 6-4). It was also at Indian Wells that Fritz won his first duel against Sinner in 2021 at 3e round (6-4, 6-3). But Sinner was not yet Sinner…
They said
Jannik Sinner : “The atmosphere will be what it will be. We are in America, against an American, so it is obvious that the crowd will be a little more on his side. But that is normal, it is not against me. So I accept it. When I play in Italy, it is the same thing. I know that a lot of people are watching me from Italy, so I will try to feed off their support (…) Taylor has a big serve, but he is also very solid at the baseline. He can hit hard, or with a lot of spin. He knows how to vary his shots very well. He has played a lot this year, so he has the rhythm.”
Taylor Fritz : “Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be a more stressful match than the semi-final. Playing against Frances (Tiafoé), another American, to see which one of us would go to the final, and knowing that I was leading 6-1 in the head-to-heads, it was super stressful. Playing against the world number one is different. He’s the favorite, the pressure is on him. At the same time, I’ve always enjoyed playing against him. I feel good, and I have the feeling that I’m going to play well and win.”
