Preview of the men’s final of the US Open 2024: Title favorite Jannik Sinner meets local hero Taylor Fritz

The top two players in the men’s draw will face each other in the US Open final when Jannik Sinner meets Taylor Fritz, who headlines our preview, on Sunday, September 8.

After two weeks of truly fascinating tennis, we now know who will contest the 2024 US Open men’s final: Jannik Sinner will face American Taylor Fritz. Both have struggled to reach this stadium, but overall both have indicated that they are the two most consistent players in the tournament.

Sinner continued his good form from before the tournament and moved into the final without too much trouble, while Taylor Fritz came back into really good form and achieved the best result of his career. We’ll start with the American because this run has been fascinating in many ways. This shouldn’t be a big surprise because Fritz has generally played his best tennis on American soil. The biggest trophies he’s won so far in his career were the Indian Wells Masters a few years ago, and he won that in his home state of California.

The US Open is played in New York on the east coast, but that didn’t really bother the American, as he has had some very good performances here in the past. Reaching the final may not be a surprise in this one, but it is in context, as the American hasn’t played very well beforehand. He did well at the Olympics, but he wasn’t very good in Cincinnati. But that’s the beauty of Grand Slams. You play every other day and have a few matches to get into shape. That’s exactly what Fritz did, and he’s raised his level with every match.

The fantastic Fritz takes on the challenge

To get to the final, Fritz beat some really good players. First he beat Carabelli, who is not a good hard court player. In the second round he had to play against former US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini and won that match in three sets. Then he faced Francisco Comesana and won that match easily. He beat Casper Ruud in four sets and matched Alexander Zverev.

Finally, he faced Frances Tiafoe in a really interesting match that went the full distance and won it in five sets. That’s a really impressive performance from the American, who is a very dangerous player once he finds his rhythm. The serve can be superb and the pressure he can generate with both his backhand and forehand is also huge. He’s not the cleanest hitter and can make mistakes, but overall he’s pretty good. This year at the US Open he certainly didn’t make too many mistakes, so in general he’s been really good.

Spectacular sinner lives up to his favorite title

The same goes for Jannik Sinner, who has been absolutely spectacular recently and this year in general. He is not number one in the world for nothing and he has the chance to win a second Grand Slam tournament this year. He won the Australian Open, was successful at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and now has the chance to win his second Grand Slam tournament. If we look at how the Australian Open went, it is quite similar to this tournament.

He didn’t really have too many problems getting to the final and although his performance in the final was a little shaky at the beginning, he overcame that and won the match. That’s a huge experience that will help him in the final, unlike Fritz who has never made it past the quarterfinals this year. Experience will play a big role.

As for Sinner’s form, it was excellent before the tournament and it was amazing during the tournament too. He won the Cincinnati Open without too much trouble and kept his level high at the US Open. The matches weren’t perfect as he lost a couple of sets in the draw but when things got serious he generally won comfortably. He had some really nice wins on his way to the final.

Beating Tommy Paul in three sets was very good. The subsequent win against Daniil Medvedev was just as impressive as the three-set victory against an in-form Jack Draper. What stood out in all these matches was the composure with which the sinner played. Even when things didn’t go his way, he didn’t lose confidence and just kept playing his game and winning the match.

He’s been very impressive in crucial situations at the US Open this year because he seems to have more determination in his game. If you look at the tiebreaks he’s played, he’s very quick on the court. He’s a step quicker, his decisions are quicker, and he’s just playing better overall. That’s a really good sign going into the final, which could be quite a difficult match overall.

It is not excluded that the match against Fritz will end in a couple of tiebreaks and having that level will be very useful. If we talk about their official matches, there is not much to note since they have only played two. Both took place in Indian Wells, which is a very different court from the one in New York.

It’s quite slow, the ball bounces very high, and in many ways it plays like a clay court. Fritz beat Sinner there in 2021, the first time they played each other. It was part of a really good run by Fritz, whereas Sinner wasn’t as consistent three years ago.

Another thing is that the match they played there last year was won by Sinner and it was more in line with what we have expected from them recently. Fritz was able to create some pressure but when it really mattered, the Italian was able to dominate the match and win. In New York, the game is much faster and the ball doesn’t bounce as much as in Indian Wells, which suits both of them technically.

They are excellent hitters and can adapt to any kind of court. The serve is also good from this court in New York and in general you can say that Fritz has the better serve. He can get into this crazy rhythm like he did against Ruud and then he is really difficult to counter.

Sinner’s serve seems a little more stable overall, but sometimes he doesn’t generate as much pressure as he would like. That means he has to win the majority of his points from the baseline, which is not unusual for him. So it was the best time of his career. Like everything else, the match will be decided by this rally from the baseline. Sinner has an advantage because he is generally considered the cleaner hitter, but Fritz has these crazy moments where he just plays crazy. He doesn’t spray as many balls as he usually does, which bodes very well for the final.

Still, Fritz will be the underdog, and it’s not so much because of his playing style or his skills – all of those are good enough to win the Major. It’s because of the opportunity and the situation. It’s a Grand Slam final that Fritz has never experienced. You can argue that it won’t bother him, but that’s very unlikely. We’ve seen him get nervous in matches, and we haven’t really seen that from Jannik Sinner.

He was ice cold in his first Grand Slam final this year and although he started slowly, he overcame that to win the match in five sets. He should have that experience on his side and be the calmer player in general. In a match that could come down to a few tiebreaks or generally close sets, that could prove crucial.

All in all, it’s a fascinating final between the two best players in the historic tournament. Both have played their best tennis and generally look the most confident in their game. It’s the final the fans deserve and having a US player in it only makes it better. The crowd should be excited and both players should be ready to go.

A Grand Slam trophy is within their grasp and they both want it. Fritz has never won one and has dreamed of it his whole life, while for Sinner it is the chance to win a second. For many players, getting the second has proved difficult and there is a big difference between having one and two, so he wants to get the second and eliminate any signs that the first was a fluke. In any case, Sunday 8 September is the day to do it – save it.