Jannik Sinner has capped a contentious summer by confirming himself as the world’s premier hard court player with a dazzling display in New York on Sunday.
The Italian star bookended a grand slam season that began with a breakthrough triumph at the Australian Open by claiming the US Open in strong style.
The world No.1 started his final against Taylor Fritz, who was seeking to end a drought for American men in majors dating back to Andy Roddick’s triumph at Flushing Meadows in 2003, by swatting a forehand winner on the opening point on route to a 6-3 6-4 7-5 triumph.
Fritz had an opportunity to serve for the second set but a sensational Sinner forehand and then a drop shot on a rally helped the Italian break back and eventually go on to seal the match.
Fritz wins 5-set EPIC to make home final | 01:47
Carlos Alcaraz has an edge on natural surfaces, having completed the “Channel Double” at Roland Garros and Wimbledon over the northern summer.
But Sinner is supreme when the variables are less influential, as evidence led by his successes in the two hard court majors and also the other premier events on the surface.
Of the Masters events on hardcourt this year, Alcaraz defeated Sinner in a semifinal in Indian Wells when picking up the title, only for Sinner to bounce back to win the Miami Open.
When the circuit returned to North America, he fell to Andrey Rublev in a quarterfinal of the Montreal Masters that was claimed by Australian Alexei Popyrin.
But he was dominant in Cincinnati and again through much of the US Open, despite the controversy that unfolded prior to the tournament beginning.
It was revealed that Sinner, whose run of dominance on hard courts began when he won the Montreal Masters in August, 2023, had tested positive to a banned substance twice in March.
As an investigation continued behind the scenes, Sinner was allowed to keep playing given his team identified almost immediately the source of the likely contributor that resulted in the positive test.
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He was subsequently found to be at no fault in August, but it inflamed criticism from some rivals who claimed there was one rule for the wealthy or successful when it came to serving temporary suspensions and less leeway for lower-ranked players.
To be clear, Sinner was found to have done no wrong and the Italian followed each step required of him once alerted to the banned substance in his system.
But he did sack his training staff as a result of the contamination and was subjected to a series of questions about the saga on the eve of the tournament.
More to come…
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