No. 1 Jannik Sinner overcame a wrist injury and drama-filled semifinal match against Britain’s Jack Draper on Friday to reach his first US Open final.
Sinner was treated by a trainer in the second set following a wild point at 4-all that saw him fall to the court and attempt to break his fall with his left hand. He recovered enough to win the set in a tiebreak and finish off the match in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2.
The second set alone clocked in at 89 minutes, the second longest on the US Open men’s side this year (the Zizou Bergs-Pavel Kotov opening-round fifth set went 96 minutes).
Sinner’s opponent had his own struggles. The No. 25-seeded Draper vomited multiple times on the court and had to change both his shirt and shoes, which were soaked through with sweat.
He was treated by a physio and wore an ice pack around his shoulders and on his head during changeovers in an attempt to cool down.
Sinner, the first Italian man in tennis history to reach the US Open singles final, awaits the winner of the all-American semifinal between Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe later Friday.
Sinner, who won the Australian Open in January, is looking to become the third man in the Open era to win his first two major titles in the same calendar year. He would join Jimmy Connors, who won his first three major titles in 1974, and Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
