Sinner beats Draper, becomes first Italian to reach US Open singles final

Jannik Sinner became the first ever Italian to enter into the US Open singles final for the first time on Friday when he ended Jack Draper’s run in a hard-fought display.

The 23-year-old Italian and World no.1 reached the US Open final for the first time after digging deep in a physical battle to earn a a 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 triumph in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Me and Jack know each other very well. We are friends off the court. It was a very physical match as we see and I just tried to stay there mentally,” Sinner said. “He is so tough to beat and it is a very special occasion. I am happy to be in the final here.”

Sinner clinched his first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open in January and is just the fifth man this century to record 22 or more major wins in a season. Novak Djokovic (8), Roger Federer (6), Rafael Nadal (6) and Andy Murray (2) achieved the feat.

“I am just happy to be in the final. Whoever it is, it is going to be a very tough challenge for me,” Sinner said. “I am looking forward to it. Finals are very special days. Every Sunday you play shows you are doing an amazing job, so I will try to keep pushing and I will see what I can do.”

With his three-hour, four-minute triumph against Draper, Sinner notched his 10th consecutive victory, having clinched his second ATP Masters 1000 crown of the season in Cincinnati. The Italian, who has also won titles in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle, became the first player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin last month.

Sinner will aim to improve his perfect 5-0 record in tour-level title matches in 2024 when he meets Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe on Sunday.