4 milestones Jannik Sinner achieved by reaching the US Open 2024 final
Top seed Jannik Sinner secured a place in his first US Open final with a hard-fought victory over Jack Draper on Friday night. It marked his second major final of the season, following his Australian Open triumph.
Sinner has been in scintillating form in New York so far. Although he started slowly in his opener against Mackenzie McDonald, he quickly regrouped to secure a straightforward victory. He carried on his incredible momentum from there on with routine straight-set wins over Alex Michelsen, Christopher O'Connell, and Tommy Paul en route to the quarterfinals.
Up against Daniil Medvedev in a rematch of their Wimbledon clash, he emerged victorious in a bizarre four-set encounter, setting up a semifinal showdown with Draper.
In a gripping match between blistering ball strikers, Sinner bested his close friend Draper with his superior play on crucial points coupled with relentless intensity throughout the court. The first two sets were closely contested, but the Italian's experience eventually prevailed as Draper, struggling physically, faltered quickly towards the end. Sinner secured a decisive 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2 win.
One victory away from his second Grand Slam title, let's examine the milestones Sinner has achieved en route to the final.
#4 Only Italian to reach multiple Men’s Singles Grand Slam finals in the Open Era
Jannik Sinner became the first Italian in the Open Era to reach multiple Men’s Singles Grand Slam finals with his victory over Jack Draper in the semifinals of the ongoing US Open. He had previously reached the finals of the 2024 Australian Open, where he won an epic five-set match against Daniil Medvedev.
The only other Italian to have reached two Major finals was Nicola Pietrangeli, but his achievements occurred before the Open Era began in 1968. Pietrangeli competed in the finals of the French Championships in 1959 and 1960, emerging victorious in both matches. He defeated Ian Vermaak of South Africa in 1959 and Luis Ayala of Chile in 1960.
Adriano Panatta was the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era, claiming the 1976 French Open crown against Harold Solomon of the United States.
Matteo Berrettini is the only other Italian to have reached a Grand Slam final, losing to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
#3 Fourth fastest to 60 Grand Slam wins since 2000
Jannik Sinner became the fourth fastest player to reach 60 Grand Slam wins since 2000. He achieved the milestone in 78 matches with a 60-18 record, tying him with Argentinian great David Nalbandian.
Only Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Carlos Alcaraz have done it faster. The Serb achieved the feat in 77 matches at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships. Nadal, meanwhile, achieved it in 72 days at the 2008 Australian Open.
Alcaraz did it the fastest in just 70 matches earlier this fortnight, defeating Li Tu in the first round. However, his momentum was halted by a surprising loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
#2 Third quickest by age to reach the Australian and US Open finals in the same year
Jannik Sinner became the third-fastest man in the Open Era to reach the finals of both the Australian and US Open in the same year, accomplishing this feat in just 23 years and 21 days. Only the legendary Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer have achieved this milestone more quickly.
Connors, the eight-time Major winner, achieved the feat as a 22-year-old in 1974 when he beat Phil Dent to the Australian Open title and Ken Rosewall to the US Open crowns. He also won the Wimbledon Championships that year against Ken Rosewall.
Federer achieved it in 2004 as a 23-year-old, winning his first Australian Open title against Marat Safin and his first US Open against Lleyton Hewitt.
#1 First Italian man to reach the US Open singles final
Jannik Sinner became the first Italian in the history of tennis to reach the finals of the US Open. He did it with wins over Mackenzie McDonald, Alex Michelsen, Christopher O'Connell, Tommy Paul, Daniil Medvedev, and Jack Draper. He will face home favorite Taylor Fritz in the final hurdle.
Before Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini had achieved the best result for an Italian male at the US Open by reaching the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2022. He lost to Casper Ruud in 2021 and Novak Djokovic in 2022.
Flavia Panetta remains the only Italian to have lifted the title at the New York Major, winning the 2015 women's singles crown over childhood friend Roberta Vinci in the first all-Italian major final.