Jannik Sinner books first US Open final, overcomes ailing Jack Draper in semifinal debut

NEW YORK—World No. 1 Jannik Sinner improved to a perfect 13-0 at hard-court majors in 2024 on Friday, defeating Jack Draper, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 at the US Open.

The reigning Australian Open champion and top seed is a win away from ending a breakout season with two Grand Slam titles, advancing in three hours and three minutes over an at-times ailing No. 25 seed on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Though Sinner outpaces Draper in overall experience, both men were playing their biggest match yet at the US Open, Sinner’s previous best result coming in 2022 when he lost a classic quarterfinal to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Making his sixth main-draw appearance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Sinner has played his best on hard courts through what has been his breakthrough season, not only winning his first major in Melbourne but also capturing Masters 1000 titles at the Miami Open and the Cincinnati Open.

Despite arriving to New York as the most recent Masters winner, Sinner nonetheless began his US Open campaign under a controversial cloud, having revealed he tested positive in two anti-doping tests back in the spring. , the 23-year-old still faced questions about his team, leading to his decision to part ways with physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi and fitness trainer Umberto Ferrara.

Sinner remained with the ATP Award-winning coaching team of Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, and together Sinner began to make his way through the US Open draw, dropping just one set in the first week and overcoming 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in four sets to reach the semifinals.

Draper enjoyed an even more dominant run to the last four, losing only 26 games in his first four matches and handing No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur a 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 defeat to earn his best-ever Grand Slam result.

Though he was facing Sinner for the first time on the singles court since 2021, where he served notice against the Italian on grass at Queen’s Club, the two shared the court more recently in doubles, competing together at the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montréal.

“Jannik is a good friend, someone I'm definitely close to,” Draper said ahead of their semifinal face-off.

“You know, we send each other messages in good moments, bad moments. It's a tough sport to play when you're a young guy…you're on the road, you're playing such a relentlessly intense sport, both physically, emotionally, and it's difficult, we haven't got many friends.”

After a nervous start, Draper shook off 0-30 deficit in the opening game to get on the board, exchanging breaks with Sinner as the first set appeared headed towards a tiebreaker.

Sinner made a big move with Draper serving at five games apiece, navigating the longest game thus far to find himself serving for the opening set. Outrallying Draper en route to three set points, Sinner closed out the first set in 56 minutes with a 116 mile-per-hour first serve that the Brit drove long.

The second set began as closely contended as the first, Draper saving three break points through a 30-minute trilogy of games to keep proceedings on serve. Sinner shook things up with a love hold and forced Draper to save a fourth break point when the Brit tossed in a ninth double fault.

Draper turned that around but suffered a comedy of errors two games later. First, sweat from his sneakers caused the court to briefly become unplayable. Then, after changing his shoes, a let was called when a ball flew from his pocket. He remained in front despite the distractions, and brought the Ashe crowd to its feet after nailing a deftly-struck volley.

Draper persisted even as he became physically ill from the back of the court. He and Sinner each called for the trainer—Draper for apparent heat illness, Sinner for his wrist—before the two played the best point of the match, Sinner playing absurd defense and cracking a bomb of a forehand in reply to a Draper overhead.

The set ultimately resolved in a tiebreaker with Draper, who became ill on court a third time, falling behind 5-1 by the first change of ends. Sinner forced a forehand error to earn five set points, converting the first on his serve to take a two-set lead in just under two and a half hours.

Draper pressed on even as he fell behind two sets and lost some intensity due to his physical discomfort. He kept the third set on serve until the sixth game when Sinner struck a backhand return winner to earn break point, converting when he put away another backhand.

A love hold put Sinner a game away from victory and the Italian looked to end the match just as it approached the three-hour mark, tracking a Draper drop shot to go up match point. A last backhand return winner put Sinner over the finish line and into his second career major final.

Awaiting Sinner in his first US Open final is the winner of the second semifinal between No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz and No. 20 seed Frances Tiafoe, whom Sinner beat in the Cincinnati final prior to the Open. Either way, it will be the first American to reach a championship match at a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick at 2009 Wimbledon.