Sinner beats Medvedev to secure first-time US Open title | ATP Tour

US Open

Sinner reaches the Grand Slam semi-final he was missing

The Italian will face Jack Draper on Friday at the US Open

September 05, 2024

Jannik Sinner has achieved what no tennis player born since the 1990s had ever managed: reaching the semi-finals of each of the four Grand Slams.

The Italian secured his last title at the US Open on Wednesday, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the final quarter-final of the tournament.

Now the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings is one of only four active players to have reached the semifinals at every major, joining Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic.

And to think that just over a year ago, Sinner had never reached a semi-final of this level. He made his debut in 2023 at Wimbledon, repeated this year on the way to the title in Australia and a few months later at Roland Garros.

His first US Open quarter-final win has several implications. Beating Medvedev, the tournament’s only surviving former champion, means that the American major will have a first-time winner next Sunday: Sinner, Jack Draper, Frances Tiafoe or Taylor Fritz.

These last three will be looking for their first Grand Slam final (Draper and Fritz will be playing their first semi-finals at this level), so Sinner’s experience at this level positions him even more as a candidate for everything in Flushing Meadows; also his tennis, which was enough on Wednesday to beat Medvedev and leave his record with him at 6-7.

Even though it was played out in four sets, Sinner’s dominance never seemed in doubt. After dropping the second set, he responded by winning the next five games. The 2021 tournament champion was never able to recover from the gap that grew so quickly in the third, and Sinner deepened his crisis with a break in the seventh game of the fourth set to come close to a victory that he would end up embracing after two hours and 39 minutes of play.

“It was very tough, we know each other quite well,” said Sinner, who committed 38 unforced errors to Medvedev’s 57. “We played in Australia this year and then in London. We knew it was going to be very physical. The first two sets were strange because whoever got the first break won.”

Key to his attempt to break the 1-1 tie in sets was to visit the net more often. The strategy worked as he ended up winning 28 of the 33 points at the net in the match.

“We have tried to work really hard on this aspect of the game. I know I can improve a lot, especially at the net,” Sinner said. “I tried to serve and volley a couple of times, trying to mix something up. I am very happy with how I did today and we will see how I can handle the next opponent.”

On Friday, he will face another opponent with whom he has a negative record. Sinner is down 0-1 in his Lexus ATP HeadToHead with Draper. Ticking that up would see him obtain his 60th Grand Slam victory, and qualify for his sixth final of the season (second in majors).