Sinner triumphs at Us Open: 'This title is worth a lot to me'-Sinner wins Us Open and becomes Captain America

Another step forward in the history of tennis, another Slam at only 23 years of age: Jannik Sinner is the first Italian to win the Us Open, sweeping Taylor Fritz in three sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in two and a quarter hours of play. The home favourite had no chance in a one-sided match: even when he reacted by going ahead in the third set, the world number one came back and left him no chance. The records multiply for Jannik, now at his sixth title of the year (after Melbourne, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati), with 55 wins to his credit and only five losses.

The match

The match was not exciting, to be honest. For the first two sets Fritz appeared unable to counter his opponent's obvious superiority. His powerful serve did not help him in the first partial, it abandoned him in the most delicate moment of the second, when he served at 4-5 and the Italian immediately took advantage of it. He made a lot of errors (in the end, 34 errors against Sinner's 21), and won 27 points in reply against the Italian's 38. Then, finally, in the third set, the Californian's flare-up seemed to reopen the game: on 3 par, he realised the break that had eluded him at the beginning of the partial, going up 5-3 with the public in delirium. But it was a short-lived illusion because from then on Fritz was unable to play a game: Sinner, relentless, closed 7-5 and raised his arms to the sky. "He's too strong," the American acknowledged during the prize-giving ceremony. The champion takes home the $3.6 million cheque received from Claudia Jury (Jp Morgan), who said she wore orange in his honour. Handing him the trophy was a legend like Andre Agassi.

The budget

It seems like a century since the epic triumph in Melbourne (it was 28 January) against Daniil Medvedev, a match of incomparable emotions. Jannik has meanwhile consolidated all his strengths: his mental resilience, the completeness of his strokes, his tactical intelligence, the agility that allows him an extraordinary defence. The strength of the team, after the shake-up of the doping affair that led to the dismissal of Gianluca Naldi and Umberto Ferrara, has remained intact. "This title means so much to me, the last period really wasn't easy, my team supported me, stood by me," said Sinner, who dedicated the victory to an aunt who is not well: "Beyond the field there is a life. It is beautiful to share this moment with her, she has been an important person for me". The Italian then recalled the constant work, "day after day, trying to train well, believing in ourselves, it is the thing that counts the most". The year 2024 is still long, with the Asian season, Davis, the Finals. But there is time to think about the next goals: now enjoying the American success.