Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz to win US Open

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has won the US Open title, earning his second win in a major tournament. The Italian tennis player beat Taylor Fritz 3-0 in the US Open men’s final on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. It was his second win in a major tournament, following his first career major competition win in the Australia Open.

Sinner, who won six competitions this year alone, solidified his world’s No. 1 ranking before the season ends. “My performance has been great since the Australian Open this year. So, I was able to carry that confidence into this tournament. I feel like I’ve grown as I’ve gained experience in tournaments. I felt much more pressure during this tournament than during the Australian Open, but I was glad I handled it well,” said Sinner. “But at the same time, you can’t stop trying. Even today, not everything was perfect. There is still room for improvement. I always realize that there is ‘no end’ to tennis, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can go.” Meanwhile, Fritz received overwhelming support from the American home fans in the final.

It has been 21 years since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open that any American tennis player has won the title in a major tournament in men’s singles. Many American celebrities, including Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce couple, filled the stadium. However, Sinner dominated Fritz with an 88 percent first serve success rate, especially in the second and third sets, where he connected on 100 percent of his 28 first serve attempts. On hardcourts, where the ball bounds relatively high, a higher first-serve success rate allows players to conserve energy and score points efficiently.

With one more win at this season’s final major competition, Sinner recorded his second win in a major tournament in the same year he earned his first, which hadn’t been done by the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com