Concerning scenes in US Open SF as ill Jack Draper vomits on court during clash against Jannik Sinner
Jack Draper's semifinal clash against Jannik Sinner at the 2024 US Open saw some exhilarating tennis on display, in addition to some concerning scenes as well. The Brit, marred by illness, vomited more than once on the court, lending an air of strangeness to the battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday evening.
In a tight opening set, it was Sinner who prevailed 7-5 to take a massive step towards reaching the final. The second set was just as evenly contested, with both players remaining on serve to reach 4-3. With the Italian serving to stay on pace, things took a turn for the worse for his opponent, who couldn't keep his bodily fluids under control all of a sudden.
Thankfully, the sickness was not too overpowering to stop Draper from carrying on with the fight. He managed to stretch Sinner to the tiebreaker, but couldn't do more than that as the World No. 1 sealed the set 7-6(3) promptly to move within one set of the final.
Draper continued to battle on in the third set, remaining on pace with the No. 1 seed regardless of his less-than-ideal physical state on the evening. However, it was not enough to threaten Jannik Sinner, who grabbed the third set 6-2 with a couple breaks of serve to seal the match in his favor.
Jannik Sinner to take on Frances Tiafoe or Taylor Fritz in US Open final
Following his win over Jack Draper, Jannik Sinner will take on either Frances Tiafoe or Taylor Fritz in the final of the 2024 US Open on Sunday. The Americans are set to take on each other in the second semifinal later today in the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sinner leads Tiafoe 4-1 in the head-to-head record, having most recently beaten him in the final of the Cincinnati Open in the lead-up to Flushing Meadows. Against Fritz, he is tied 1-1 in the head-to-head, having won their most recent battle at the 2023 Indian Wells Open.
As the reigning Australian Open champion, Sinner, on Sunday, will be aiming to become only the fourth man to win both the Melbourne Major and the US Open since the former switched surfaces to hardcourt. The other three are Mats Wilander (1988), Roger Federer (thrice - 2004, 2006 and 2007), and Novak Djokovic (thrice - 2011, 2015 and 2023).