Jannik Sinner was delighted after he became the first Italian man to reach the US Open singles final. But the World No.1 also understands the challenge that comes with playing in the final in front of a packed house at Flushing Meadows. On Friday, Sinner took three hours and three minutes to beat Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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The 23-year-old Sinner will now be up against the winner of the other semi-final between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. Earlier this year, Sinner won the Australian Open on hard-court and he now has a chance to add to his Grand Slam tally.
“I’m just happy to be in the final. Whoever it is it’s going to be a tough challenge. I am looking forward to it. The season I’ve had is very positive. Finals are very special. Every Sunday you get to play a tournament means you’re doing a good job. We’ll just try to keep pushing and see what I can do on Sunday,” Sinner said in the on-court interview.
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‘Draper is so tough to beat’
Sinner also admitted that beating Draper was not a walk in the park by any means. Draper was in red-hot form as he did not lose a single set on his way to qualifying for the semi-final. Back in 2021, Sinner had lost to Draper at Queen’s, but the former drew the equaliser at the US Open.
“First of all, me and Jack know each other well. We are good friends. It was a physical match. I just tried to stay there mentally. He’s so tough to beat. It’s a special occasion. Thanks everyone for coming to support us. It was amazing. Just happy to be in the final here,” Sinner added.
Sinner, in the meantime, became the fifth player win more than 22 Grand Slam matches in a single season since 2021. The others are Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.