The third set has just begun and Jack Draper is already feeling the pinch of everything and even his eyelashes are in pain. The Englishman has a hard time getting up from his chair and getting going again, exhausted as he is; the respite, the water he has drunk and the cold air coming from the tube to cool him down are of no use to him, because his body has finally said enough. With no strength left, he gasps and responds desperately after losing the first two sets, knowing that there is no turning back, wanting to finish. Too much effort for him. The episode reveals that he is not yet physically prepared for duels of this pace, so he bows to Jannik Sinner: 7-5, 7-6(3) and 6-2, after 3h 03m. The number one thus reaches the final in New York for the first time and does so as the first Italian to do so.
“It was a very physical match, which is why Jannik is where he is. When you compete against players like him, the intensity is different. It’s a step up,” describes the young Englishman after an eventful duel. In between, a fall by the winner and a bad support of his left wrist, and then discomfort in one leg; on the part of the Briton, vomiting several times. “Knowing how to maintain energy was key,” says Sinner in the conference room, without knowing at that moment that he will face this Sunday (20.00, Movistar+) the American Taylor Fritz, superior in the night shift to Frances Tiafoe, burned by his compatriot; that is seven defeats in eight matches, this last one by 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and 6-1, in 3h 18m.
“I gave absolutely everything I had. Getting here is the reason I worked so hard,” said the excited American, making his debut in a major final and who will try by all means to end a 21-year curse. American men’s tennis has not triumphed in a major since 2003, and now the Californian has it within his reach. At 26 years old and established as the reference for his country in the rankingFritz (12th) is slowly moving towards a more natural space, after overcoming – not without repeated injuries – the minefield of injuries and leaving behind a long period of doubt. More and more established, he certainly does not have the media reputation of Tiafoe or the upstart Ben Shelton, but he is the competitor who offers the best performances.
Right-handed, lanky (1.96 m tall) and with a very remarkable serve, he has improved in his interpretation of the game and in the previous seasons he knocked out high-level rivals such as Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud, both finalists in New York. Deficient until now in the majorsthis season he has been gaining edge – fourth in Australia and Wimbledon, and eighth at Roland Garros – and now he is the only possible brake for Sinner, with whom he has faced twice: in 2021 in Indian Wells, in his favor, and last year in the same setting, against him. Everything has changed and the Italian not only rules the circuit, but tennis-wise he has multiplied his stature and has managed to overcome a very complicated circumstance so far.
A course with a military step
Just before the tournament, he was announced as having tested positive for clostebol – a banned anabolic steroid – at the last edition of Indian Wells in March, so these days he has had to deal with the gossip and the mistrust, as well as all those voices – including Roger Federer’s – that question why he has been allowed to compete since then. Behind the scenes, the version of his innocence prevails, but his name is on everyone’s lips and he has always behaved discreetly. “I have gone day by day, without many expectations, trying to find my game and my rhythm,” he explains to journalists, recalling at the same time that the story did not start well, when he lost the first set, and that he has since gained enough confidence to reach the final without going wrong.
C.J. GUNTHER (EFE)
Tommy Paul beat him and managed to unseat Daniil Medvedev, but from there on, a lot of chewing, a lot of poise and a progression without too much brilliance but extremely effective. “At the net I miss some volleys and I still feel that I can improve in the choice of shots,” says the San Cándido native, a nonconformist professional who at 23 years old is already one of the tennis standards of his country. This season he has won five titles and leads the record of victories both on hard courts (34) and in the majors (22); in both senses, he has only suffered two defeats. He is, without a doubt, the great favorite to win the title, although he needs the last bite against Fritz, who will have the environmental factor clearly in his favor and who is backed by a fact that encourages the Italian not to let him grow.
Since 2020, only Carlos Alcaraz (12) has achieved more victories than him (11) in five sets. However, at the end of the evening this Friday, Tiafoe regrets it, who, like two years ago, loses in the semifinals and also in five sets, this time against the Murcian. Fritz will be the opposition and the man in charge of trying to restore American glory, denied for more than two decades. Then, in 2003, Andy Roddick was crowned in the Arthur Ashe and later fell in the 2006 final, as well as in 2009 at Wimbledon. Dates of bitter memory for a tennis that awaits with as much hope as realism for the final, because having acquired the necessary speed, it would be strange for Sinner to let his second escape. major.
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