NEW YORK: Jannik Sinner won his second Grand Slam title of 2024 on Sunday when he swept aside Taylor Fritz in the US Open final, shattering American hopes of a first male champion at the majors in 21 years.
World number one Sinner, who won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open in January, became the first Italian man to triumph in New York with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory.
For 23-year-old Sinner, it was a 55th match win of the season and sixth title.
After his 21-year-old rival Carlos Alcaraz pocketed the French Open and Wimbledon titles to take his majors collection to four, the two men have cemented their places as the powerhouses of tennis’s new era.
World number 12 Fritz was bidding to be the first American man since Andy Roddick in New York in 2003 to win a major.
He was backed by A-list celebrity support among the 23,000-strong crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pop queen Taylor Swift watched alongside boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce while Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey was hard to miss as he donned a Stars and Stripes headband.
Sinner raced to a 2-0 lead in the first set before Fritz settled and levelled for 2-2.
The 26-year-old American saved a break point on the back of an exhausting 23-shot rally in the fifth game but soon slipped 4-3 down.
Sinner pounced again with a third break to claim the opening set as Fritz fired a backhand long.
The two players had only dropped serve a combined 20 times over six rounds each at the tournament before Sunday’s final.
That strength shone through in the second set with the first nine games all service holds until the 10th.
Sinner then carved out two set points but only needed one, a deep forehand forcing Fritz into a desperate scramble before he buried his return limply in the net.
By that stage of the final, Sinner had committed just nine unforced errors to the 19 of Fritz in an a illustration of his control of the court.
Fritz, the first American man in any Grand Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009, saw three break points come and go in the first game of the third set.
But Sinner served up his fourth double fault of the final to hand Fritz a 4-3 lead.
With his back to the wall, the Italian top seed then broke back in the 10th game as Fritz served for the set and held for 6-5.
He went to two championship points when a disheartened Fritz ballooned a running forehand and sealed victory when the American netted.
Sinner sweeps to US Open title for second Grand Slam triumph
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Sinner sweeps to US Open title for second Grand Slam triumph
- World number one Sinner, who won his maiden Slam at the Australian Open in January, became the first Italian man to triumph in New York with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory
Ravaglia heroics lead Bologna to Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh
- Despite falling behind early, Bologna equalized in the 34th minute before prevailing on penalties
RIYADH: It was a night of shared football culture in Riyadh as Inter Milan and Bologna met in the second 2025/26 Italian Super Cup semi-final. The travelling Inter support brought their drums, colour and constant noise, blending with Saudi Inter fans to create a lively atmosphere inside the stadium.
The match began at a blistering pace, with Inter taking the lead less than two minutes after kick-off. Marcus Thuram powered home from close range after meeting an accurate cross from Alessandro Bastoni to score the opening goal of the night.
Inter immediately searched for a second, with Ange-Yoan Bonny going close in the fourth minute, feinting past Torbjorn Heggem before dragging his effort just wide of the post.
After Inter’s early barrage, Bologna began to grow into the contest, with Jens Odgaard leading much of the offence. Goalkeeper Josep Martinez was called into action to preserve Inter’s advantage.
The energy among Inter supporters continued to build, with fans jumping in unison and lifting their scarves as they urged their side forward in search of a second goal.
That momentum was checked in the 34th minute, when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Bologna. Riccardo Orsolini slotted the spot-kick coolly past Martinez to bring I Rossoblu back level.
Inter pushed forward after the break as the game opened up, but there was no getting past Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia, who made four saves in the second half alone.
Hope briefly returned for the Nerazzurri when Bonny was brought down in the box in the 56th minute, only for the initial appeal for a penalty to be overturned following consultation with VAR.
Less than 10 minutes later, the stadium rose to welcome Lautaro Martinez. Brought on alongside Andy Diouf and Davide Frattesi in a triple substitution, Lautaro made an immediate impact but was unable to find the decisive goal before the end of regular time.
Bologna came within moments of snatching a winner in injury time, but goalkeeper Martinez reacted sharply to make a crucial save, sending the semi-final into a penalty shootout.
The shootout began evenly, with both sides converting their penalties before goalkeepers intervened at either end. Nicolo Barella then fired over the crossbar, only for Juan Miranda to mirror the miss moments later.
Inter’s struggles from the spot continued as Ravaglia made his second save of the shootout, before Jonathan Rowe gave Bologna the advantage. Stefan de Vrij converted to extend the contest, but Ciro Immobile struck decisively to send Bologna through.
The Rossoblu will now face Napoli in the Italian Super Cup final at Al-Awwal Park on December 22, after the Serie A champions defeated AC Milan 2-0 in the first semi-final.
