Preview Men's Final US Open 2024 as title favourite Jannik Sinner battles home hero Taylor Fritz

The two best-performing players in the men’s draw will face each other in the US Open final as Jannik Sinner faces Taylor Fritz on Sunday the 8th of September which headlines our preview.

After two weeks of fascinating tennis, we know which players will contest the 2024 US Open men’s final: it will be the Italian Jannik Sinner taking on USA player Taylor Fritz. Getting to this stage took quite a bit of effort from both, but overall, both have proven themselves to be the two most consistent players at the event.

Sinner confirmed his good form from before the event, cruising without too many problems to the final, while Taylor Fritz worked his way to good form to score the best result of his career. We’ll start with the American because this has been a fascinating run in many ways. It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise because Fritz has generally played some of his best tennis on US soil. The biggest trophy he won so far in his career was the Indian Wells Masters from a couple of years ago, and he won that one in his home state of California.

The US Open is played in New York on the East Coast, but that didn’t bother the American, who had some nice runs here in the past. Making the final might not be a surprise in that sense, but it is contextually because the American didn’t play all too well leading up to it. He did fine at the Olympics but wasn’t very good in Cincinnati. But that’s the beauty of Grand Slams. You play every other day and you get a couple of matches to play yourself into shape. That’s what Fritz has been able to do, and he raised his level with every match he played.

Head-to-head: 1 - 1
2023 Indian Wells Sinner - Fritz 2-1
2021 Indian Wells Fritz - Sinner 2-0

To get to the final, Fritz bested some good players. First, he beat Carabelli, who isn’t a good hard-court player. Straight away in the second round, he had to face former US Open semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini and won that match in straight sets. After that, he faced Francisco Comesana and won that one easily. He would down Casper Ruud in four sets and then do the same to Alexander Zverev.

Finally, he would face Frances Tiafoe in a interesting match that went the distance and win it in five. It’s a impressive run from the American, who is a dangerous player once he gets into his rhythm. The serve can be superb, and the pressure he can generate from both the backhand and forehand is massive as well. He’s not the cleanest hitter and can go on error sprees, but overall, he’s generally pretty good. This year at the US Open, he certainly didn’t go on too many error sprees, so he’s generally been good.

The same can be said for Jannik Sinner, who has been spectacular recently, but also more broadly this year. He’s world number one for a reason, and he’s going to have a chance to win a second Grand Slam this year. He won the Australian Open, made good runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and now will have a chance to win his second Grand Slam. If we look at how the Australian Open went, it’s pretty similar to this one.

He didn’t have too many problems getting to the final, and while his final performance was a bit shaky to start, he overcame it and won the match. That’s a huge experience that will help him in the final, as opposed to Fritz, who never made it past the quarter-final before this year. The experience part will be huge.

As for Sinner’s form, it was tremendous before the event, and it continued to be amazing at the event. He won the Cincinnati Open without too many problems and kept his level high at the US Open. The matches weren’t perfect, as he dropped a couple of sets earlier in the draw, but generally, when he got serious, he won easily. His run to the final featured some nice wins.

Beating Tommy Paul in straight sets as he did was very good. Following that up with a win over Daniil Medvedev was also impressive, as was navigating an in-form Jack Draper in three sets. What stood out in all of those matches was the calmness with which Sinner played. Even when things didn’t go his way, he didn’t lose any confidence and just kept playing his game and winning the match.

He’s been impressive in clutch situations this year at the US Open because there seems to be more determination in his game. When you watch the tiebreaks he played, he gets to his spots quickly on the court. He’s a step quicker, his decision-making is snappier, and he just plays better overall. That’s a good sign ahead of the final, which could be a pretty tricky match in general.

It’s not impossible that the match against Fritz ends up in a few tiebreaks, and having that level go up is going to be very useful. When we talk about their previous matches, there is not much to note because they only played two. Both of them were played at Indian Wells, which is a very different court from the one in New York.

It’s pretty slow, the ball bounces very high, and in many ways, it plays like a clay court. Fritz bested Sinner in 2021 there, which was the first time they played. It was part of a really good run for Fritz, while Sinner wasn’t as consistent of a player three years ago.

Another thing to note is that the match they played there last year was won by Sinner, and it was more in line with what we’ve come to expect from them lately. Fritz was able to generate some pressure, but when it came down to it, the Italian was able to dominate the match and win it. New York plays much quicker and has a lower bounce than Indian Wells, which technically suits both.

They are tremendous ball strikers and can adapt to any type of court. The serves also benefit from this court in New York, and generally, you can argue that Fritz has the better serve. He can go into this crazy rhythm, as he did against Ruud, and be tough to counter.

Sinner’s serve does seem to be a bit more stable overall, but at times, it doesn’t create as much pressure as he would like. That means that he’ll have to win the majority of his points from the baseline, which isn’t that unusual for him. That’s how it’s been for much of his career. As with anything, the match will be decided on those baseline rallies. Sinner has an advantage because he’s generally considered the cleaner hitter, but Fritz has these moments of madness where he plays out of his mind. He’s not spraying as many balls wide as he generally does, which is a very good sign for the final.

Even so, Fritz will be an underdog, and it’s not so much due to his style of play or his skills – all of that is good enough to win the major. It’s going to be the occasion and the situation. It’s a Grand Slam final, which Fritz has never experienced before. You can argue that he won’t be bothered by that, but that’s highly unlikely. We’ve seen him get nervous in matches before, and we haven’t seen that from Jannik Sinner.

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

All in all, it’s a fascinating final between the two best players at the event so far. Both have played the best tennis and have generally looked the most confident in their game. It’s the final the fans deserve, and having a US player as part of it will only make things better. The crowd should be amped up, and both players should be ready to go.

A Grand Slam trophy is up for grabs, and both want it. Fritz has never won one, and it’s been a lifelong dream, while for Sinner, it’s a chance to get a second. Getting that second has proved complicated for many players, and it’s very different when you have one versus two, so he’d like to get that second one and shut down any indications that the first one was a fluke or by accident. In any case, Sunday, September 8th is the day – book it.