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Jannik Sinner let his tennis do the talking as he won the US Open for the first time.
The world number one came into the tournament under a cloud following his anti-doping scandal, where he escaped a ban despite two positive tests in March.
Many people thought Sinner was lucky not to be suspended but he put all that to one side to claim a second grand slam title of the year by ending Taylor Fritz’s American dream in New York.
The Italian, who beat Britain’s Jack Draper in the semi-final, won 6-3 6-4 7-5 to add this crown to the title he won in Australia.
Fritz, backed by a partisan crowd on Arthur Ashe, was hoping to become the first American to win the men’s US Open title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
It was not a case of him freezing on the big stage of his first grand slam final, he just came up against an unstoppable force.
Sinner has denied any wrongdoing over his failed tests and was absolved of fault or negligence by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that clostebol, an anabolic agent that can aid muscle growth, had accidentally entered his system via a product one of his team had used to treat a small wound.
But he came under heavy under criticism for the speed at which the case was resolved while some high-profile players, such as Nick Kyrgios, questioned whether he should still have been banned regardless.
Nobody can question Sinner’s ability on court as he proved why he is ranked as the best player in the world.
He was aided by the early exits of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic but did what he needed to do throughout a tournament he grew into.
Fritz had come through an emotional all-American semi-final battle with Frances Tiafoe to become the first home male finalist at Flushing Meadows in 18 years.
And when he turned a 2-0 deficit in the third set into a 3-2 lead he might have believed.
But Sinner turned the screw, winning the next four games to take the first set.
Fritz matched his opponent toe-for-toe in the second set, until it came to serve to stay in it at 4-5.
A couple of wayward shots handed Sinner the set points, which he took with a speared backhand down the line.
Fritz’s moment came midway through the third set. After saving two break points he then delivered a fine return game to break Sinner’s serve.
He finally had a raucous crowd on their feet but, as he was serving for the set, the Italian showed his champion mentality by breaking back.
The rest was inevitable as he quickly reeled off two more games to seal a straight-sets win, becoming the first male Italian champion in New York.
He said in his on-court interview: “This title for me means so much, the last period of my career was not easy.
“I love tennis, I practise a lot for this kind of stage, but I also realise off the court there is a life.
“I would like to dedicate this title to my aunt, she is not feeling well and I don’t know how much longer I have her in my life.”
Fritz added: “As an American, I know we have been waiting for a champion for a long time, so I am sorry I couldn’t get it done this time, but I am going to keep working and hopefully I’ll get it done next time.”
