The US Open was won by Jannik Sinner, weeks after he was cleared of any involvement with the performance enhancing drugs

Tiafoe, Fritz and Draper: The Edge in a Dynamical World, Winners at the Finals of Wimbledon and Wimbledon

Tiafoe appeared to lose steam after losing one particular 31-stroke point — the longest of the match, he called it “definitely an intense rally” — midway through the fourth, then gave away that set’s last game by double-faulting twice and netting a drop shot.

“He was overwhelming from the baseline so much … and I just tried to tell myself to stay in it and fight,” said Fritz, who was two games from losing in the fourth set. I told myself if I didn’t give it everything I had, I would regret it for a long time.

This journey included victories over a trio of guys with combined six Slam runner-up showings: Alexander Zvetr and Matteo Berrettini, as well as a victory over one of the sport’s most prestigious events: the quarterfinals at one of his sport’s four most prestigious events

The boxes were made to reflect the players contrasting personality. The excitable Tiafoe would mark a key moment by shaking a raised fist or gritting his teeth or wagging his racket or nodding while strutting to the sideline, and his entourage — including coach David Witt, who worked with Venus Williams for many years, as well as Jessica Pegula, the American in the U.S. Open women’s final Saturday against Aryna Sabalenka — stood and got noisy, point after point after point.

He was given a massage on his wrist after he fell during the point he won and then he had to seek medical attention after vomiting twice in a game with the high temperature and high humidity. During that break in the action, a vacuum was used to clear the ground behind the baseline and finish the cleaning job Draper, a 22-year-old from Britain, tried to do himself by wiping his, um, mess with a towel.

The First U.S. Open Semifinal Match Between Two American Men: Jannik Sinner, Timue Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Sinner won a lot in the first week of the season, thanks to exits by Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. “But the work never stops.”

The No. 12-seeded Fritz’s seventh victory in eight professional meetings against No. 20 Tiafoe earned a showdown against No. 1 Jannik Sinner for the championship on Sunday.

There was a burst of clapping right before the initial point, a curtain-raiser befitting the show about to unfold. There were a pair of friends who had known each other for a long time and they were playing tournaments for kids younger than 14.

NEW YORK — When Taylor Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, and Frances Tiafoe, a 26-year-old from Maryland, strode under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights Friday night for the first U.S. Open semifinal matching two American men in 19 years, the crowd might have been forgiven for not knowing which to support.

The first set of the U.S. Open was dropped by Jannik Sinner because no one knew about his exoneration from a drug case.

He won the second Grand Slam trophy of his nascent career — the other was at the Australian Open in January — and prevented No. 12 Fritz from ending a major title drought for American men that has lasted 21 years.

It’s amazing to be an American at the U.S. Open. I am feeling the love all week. So thank you so much,” Fritz said during the trophy ceremony. I apologize that I couldn’t get it done this time, but I know we had been waiting for a champion for a long time. But I’m going to keep working and, hopefully, I’ll get it at the next one.”

Two women and two men from the country reached the semifinals for the first time at a major since the 2003 U.S. Open, as the event was a success for U.S. tennis. Jessica Pegula reached the women’s final before losing Saturday to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

Sinner improved to 55-5 with a tour-high six titles in 2024. That includes a 35-2 mark on hard courts, the surface used at both the Australian Open and U.S. Open. He’s the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season.

The world learned on August 20 that Sinner had tested positive for a banned substance twice in eight days in March, but that he was cleared because his use was not intentional.

Some players were wondering if he was accorded special treatment, but most said he wasn’t trying to do drugs. The fans at the U.S. Open never gave him a hard time.

On the Art of Fritz, a Supersymmetric Player, in the Early Stages of a Classical Open Star-Closed Tournament

“We just went day by day … believing in ourself, which is the most important,” said Sinner, who mentioned that an aunt of his is in poor health. “I understand, especially in this tournament, how important the mental part is.”

As expected, Fritz enjoyed something of a home-court advantage on a cool afternoon under a nearly cloudless sky. In a celebrity-filled crowd that included Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, some spectators occasionally engaged in chants of “U-S-A!” between games or rose whenever Fritz picked up what felt like a crucial point.

He tends to claim himself in a casual way during his matches. His style is not as splendid as solid or magical. Either way, it was masterful, using his long limbs and squeaking, sliding sneakers to get to everything before aiming high-speed shot after shot right near lines — and usually succeeding.

Neither player seemed all that interested in venturing forward Sunday unless forced to, instead content to ply their forehands and backhands from the back of the court.

He put 36% of his first serves in, delivered only two aces — a total exceeded in the initial game of the second set alone — and wound up with more than twice as many unforced errors (12) as winners (five).