From Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper's bizarre injury, sickness-laden battle to Taylor Fritz choking up after downing Frances Tiafoe in all-American clash: 4 notable moments from US Open 2024 | Day 12
Day 12 of the US Open witnessed plenty of drama despite only a handful of matches taking place. Jannik Sinner beat Jack Draper 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in their semifinal clash to advance to his second Major final. While the match was entertaining in patches, both players looked hampered to an extent, which was tough to watch.
Taylor Fritz overcame Frances Tiafoe in a rollercoaster of a match to edge past him 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 and seal his place in the summit clash. This marks a monumental occasion in his career, and he couldn't control his emotions.
Circling back to Sinner, the young Italian joined esteemed company following his latest victory, which puts him on par with some of the biggest names in the sport. Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok's victory brought an end to the women's doubles event at the tournament.
On that note, here are the most memorable moments from Day 12 of the US Open:
#1 - Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper's semifinal clash marred by the duo's ill-health
There was considerable buzz surrounding Sinner and Draper's semifinal showdown at the US Open. While the Italian emerged victorious, both players were far from their best physically during the match, and that grabbed plenty of eyeballs.
Draper was more worn out during the match. The humidity already made things difficult for both, and the Brit threw up a few times on the court, and cleaned up after himself as well. He even later called the trainer to get checked for apparent heat illness.
Sinner was paid a visit by the physio as well to get his wrist examined. Amidst the two players' on-court physical woes, Draper's coach James Trotman was guiding his pupil with some key advice from time to time. However, fans didn't take kindly to it as they felt his constant interruptions were unnecessary.
Taylor Fritz gets emotional after reaching his maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open
Fritz's heroic efforts helped him down Tiafoe in five sets to advance to his maiden Major final at his home Slam. He became the first American man since Andy Roddick to reach a Major final, when the latter did the same at Wimbledon 2009.
Fritz is also the first American man to reach the championship round at the US Open since Roddick in 2006. This is a huge achievement for the 26-year-old, and years of perseverance has led to this moment.
Fritz kept his cool even after falling behind two sets to one. Once he was done staging his impressive comeback, it became difficult for him to keep his emotions in check. After he was done greeting Tiafoe and the chair umpire, he let out a huge roar in a moment of celebration and let his emotions take full control of the moment.
Fritz was later joined by Christopher Eubanks for the on-court interview. While he answered the questions coherently, there were moments where he looked overwhelmed by the magnitude of his achievement.
Jannik Sinner joins the Big 4 with most Grand Slam wins in a single season since 2001
Sinner's incredible season has seen him notch up 22 victories across the four Majors this year. A title on Sunday would help him finish the year with a 23-2 record at the Majors, or a 22-3 record with a loss. Regardless of the outcome, he finds himself in elite company thanks to his results this year.
Sinner has now joined the legends of the sport, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray, by securing at least 22 Grand Slam wins in a single season since 2001.
Djokovic has eight seasons with at least 22 wins at the Majors, while Federer and Nadal achieved the same across six seasons. Murray managed to achieve this feat twice in his career. If Sinner maintains his current form, then he's likely to attain this milestone year after year.
Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok win the women's doubles title at the US Open
Ostapenko and Kichenok beat Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3 to claim the women's doubles title at the US Open. They didn't drop a single set en route to the title. This marked the first Major doubles title for them, and their second Grand Slam title overall.
Ostapenko won the singles title at the French Open back in 2017, while Kichenok won the mixed doubles crown at last year's Wimbledon. The celebrations aren't going to end for the duo after winning the title in New York.
Kichenok revealed that she was supposed to marry her fiance, Stas Khmarsky, who also doubles up as Ostapenko's coach, on Wednesday. However, she postponed the wedding since they were still competing in the tournament. The winning team can now savor the moment even more in the coming days.