Current:Home > reviewsJannik Sinner advances to US Open final as Jack Draper vomits, battles heat -AssetScope
Jannik Sinner advances to US Open final as Jack Draper vomits, battles heat
View
Date:2025-04-12 15:40:08
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will have a chance to sweep the hard court majors in 2024.
The 23-year-old Italian, who broke through at this year's Australian Open for his first Grand Slam title, advanced to Sunday’s U.S. Open final with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory over No. 25 Jack Draper in Friday’s semifinals. Sinner will meet American Taylor Fritz for the title.
On a strange afternoon at Arthur Ashe Stadium where Sinner didn’t play his best and Draper struggled with the New York humidity — constantly having to wipe sweat puddles off the court and vomiting twice during the match — each of the first two sets were up for grabs toward the end.
And it was Sinner using his big match experience to play solid under pressure while Draper struggled to execute when he had chances to grab the lead.
Sinner, however, wasn’t without issues. Toward the end of the second set he appeared to hurt his left wrist while trying to protect himself from a fall. Sinner was able to continue and play effectively, but frequently had to shake out his left hand.
OPINION:Will Taylor Fritz vs. Frances Tiafoe finally yield Andy Roddick successor at Grand Slam?
MORE:Jessica Pegula comes back in wild three-setter to advance to U.S. Open final
MORE:Aryna Sabalenka overpowers Emma Navarro to advance to U.S. Open final again
That could potentially be a factor in Sunday's final, where Sinner will be favored against No. 12 Fritz, who knocked off fellow American Frances Tiafoe, the No. 20 seed, in five sets.
The semifinal stage was entirely new for Draper, a 22-year-old lefty from Great Britain who has been threatening to join the ranks of Grand Slam contenders but has struggled with the physicality of playing best-of-five matches — much like Sinner before this year.
Though Draper has made strides in his fitness and endurance since joining the ATP Tour, the stress of playing in his first major semifinal brought some of those issues back to the surface. Despite reasonable temperatures in the mid-70s, Draper was sweating profusely almost from the beginning of the match. He struggled to maintain a dry grip on his racket and at one point even needed to change shoes in the middle of a game. In the second set, his stomach was so unsettled that he threw up on the court.
Still, he managed to test Sinner and keep the score close for awhile even though Sinner pressured him in several service games. When Sinner finally broke to take a 4-2 lead in the third set, Draper was clearly out of gas and hunched over in the corner trying to recover for the final few games of the match.
OPINION:Dominic Thiem finally gets celebratory sendoff at U.S. Open in final Grand Slam appearance
Sinner, whose fitness was also a question mark until he won the Australian Open, will play in his second career major final. He is 5-0 overall in finals this year, including Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Cincinnati.
A few days before the U.S. Open began, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the shocking revelation that Sinner had tested positive in March for traces of the banned substance clostebol but was allowed to continue playing during his provisional suspension and appeal.
On Aug. 20, the ITIA ruled that Sinner was not at fault for the positive test. Sinner claimed that the substance entered his system due to spray that his fitness trainer had used to treat a cut on his finger. The trainer then did work on Sinner without gloves, allegedly causing the positive test. In Italy, the spray that contains clostebol is widely available over the counter.
A number of current and former players have raised concerns that Sinner received favorable treatment because he was allowed to continue playing, but Sinner has said that the difference in his case was that he and his team were quickly able to present evidence about his trainer using the banned spray.
Follow Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Amy Klobuchar on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
- California’s Wildfire and Climate Change Warnings Are Still Too Conservative, Scientist Says
- Acid poured on slides at Massachusetts playground; children suffer burns
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Cormac McCarthy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Road and No Country for Old Men, dies at 89
- Why Gratitude Is a Key Ingredient in Rachael Ray's Recipe for Rebuilding Her Homes
- S Club 7 Shares Tearful Update on Reunion Tour After Paul Cattermole’s Death
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Damar Hamlin is in 'good spirits' and recovering at a Buffalo hospital, team says
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Kylie Jenner Shares Never-Before-Seen Photos of Kids Stormi and Aire on Mother's Day
- Students harassed with racist taunts, Confederate flag images in Kentucky school district, Justice Department says
- Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Celebrate Son RZA's First Birthday With Adorable Family Photos
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Garcelle Beauvais Says Pal Jamie Foxx Is Doing Well Following Health Scare
- Farmers, Don’t Count on Technology to Protect Agriculture from Climate Change
- Treat Williams, star of Everwood and Hair, dead at 71 after motorcycle crash in Vermont: An actor's actor
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
Cardiac arrest is often fatal, but doctors say certain steps can boost survival odds
S Club 7 Shares Tearful Update on Reunion Tour After Paul Cattermole’s Death
Chicago West Hilariously Calls Out Kim Kardashian’s Cooking in Mother’s Day Card
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
The FDA approves an Alzheimer's drug that appears to modestly slow the disease
It’s Not Just Dakota Access. Many Other Fossil Fuel Projects Delayed or Canceled, Too
The FDA finalizes rule expanding the availability of abortion pills