- Jannik Sinner puts a stop to Jack Draper’s impressive New York run with a decisive victory.
After managing the crucial two weeks of his rising career with impressive determination and confidence, Jack Draper stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for the biggest match of his life. He knew he needed to push his game and physical fitness to new heights to compete against the top-ranked player, Jannik Sinner.
Despite his best efforts, Draper had trouble performing at his peak because of physical problems in the intense heat even throwing up several times. In one of the most exciting matches of the tournament Sinner—who also dealt with a wrist injury—beat the British No. 1 by a slim margin with scores of 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 in a tense match lasting three hours and three minutes. This win took Sinner to his first US Open final where he’ll play against Taylor Fritz, who won his semi-final match with Frances Tiafoe in five sets.
With his 54th victory in a breakout season that stands out, Sinner has made his mark in history as the first Italian man to reach the US Open singles final. After a strong showing on hard courts winning 34 out of 36 matches this year, the Australian Open champion now aims to end the season on a high note by securing his second Grand Slam title of the year.
The last few weeks have played a key role in Sinner’s career. A week before the US Open started, the 23-year-old announced he had tested positive for clostebol, a banned substance, in April. Yet, an independent tribunal ruled last month that Sinner bore no fault or negligence linking the substance’s presence to contamination.
Both players started their service games , and at first, they matched each other in long tough rallies. The main difference though, was Draper’s serve. In a key deuce game at 5-5, Draper double-faulted three times, including once on a break point, which gave his rival the crucial break of the set.
Early in the second set, things took a turn for the worse as Draper’s struggles became clear. He was drenched in sweat, had to send several rackets off-court for grip adjustments, and even changed his soaked shoes because they were becoming too “dangerous” to play in. Midway through the set, Draper began vomiting on the court, and his movement steadily declined. Despite these challenges, he kept delivering powerful serves and impressive shots, managing to hold his serve and eventually push the match to a tie-break.
“I wasn’t feeling my best in the second set, but I managed to push it to a tie-break,” Draper said. “I fought hard and am proud of my effort. I gave it everything I had, but it just wasn’t enough against someone like that.”
At 4-4, 40-15 on Draper’s serve, Sinner delivered one of the tournament’s standout moments with an extraordinary defensive play. He returned a powerful smash from Draper with a stunning forehand winner. However, Sinner had slipped during the rally and injured his wrist. He took a medical timeout after Draper held serve, and Draper also received treatment from the doctor. Sinner remarked, “The physio loosened it up quickly on court, so I felt okay at first. It improved as I played, which is good. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow when it’s cold.”
As both players struggled with physical issues, Draper appeared unwell, and Sinner opted to avoid using his backhand. Despite these hurdles, Sinner bounced back and clinched the second set with a solid tie-break performance. With Sinner leading by two sets and Draper clearly fatigued, the third set was a formality as the world No. 1 closed out the match, advancing to his second Grand Slam final.
Although Sinner is just four months older than Draper, there was a clear difference in experience as they began the match. This semi-final was new ground for Draper, who had only previously reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam once. In contrast, Sinner has been in the top 20 for the past three years and is now one of only four active players to have reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. Draper believes that his physical struggles were due to his lack of experience.
“Honestly, it’s a big moment for me,” Draper said. “Even though I usually feel pretty calm and all, today I was definitely more excited and a bit more nervous. I think I’m naturally an anxious person. So when you mix all that together, sometimes I do feel a bit queasy on the court, and I kinda get a little sick when things get tough.”
Draper believes that the physical problems he’s been facing over the years could be linked to the anxiety he gets before matches. His strong determination seems to put extra pressure on him, which ends up affecting him physically.
“I think I’ve got a pretty strong mentality, and I end up using a lot of mental energy because I want it so badly,” he said. “But honestly, that doesn’t always help, especially in these five-set matches. The anxiety and those feelings can build up. So, while it’s definitely a strength of mine, it’s also a bit of a weakness, and I need to keep working on it.”
Draper’s physical challenges have definitely influenced his career so far. He’s worked incredibly hard and made significant strides to build the strength needed to compete on the ATP Tour every week and achieve this remarkable run in New York. But as he walked away from the stadium, he knew there was still more work to be done.
I think I just need to keep learning and growing,” Draper said. “I need to deal with tough situations like today and find ways to handle them better next time. That’s the key. It’s all about time—getting experience, doing things right, and training consistently. Eventually, you get better and stronger.
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