US Open: Draper vomits – Sinner quickly breaks his hand

Chaos game at US Open
Tennis player vomits on court – his opponent quickly breaks his hand

Top favorite Jannik Sinner has reached the final of the US Open for the first time in a semifinal with plenty of drama. The Italian tennis world number one fell on his left wrist during the 7:5, 7:6 (7:3), 6:2 defeat against outsider Jack Draper and had to be treated. His British opponents vomited several times on the court during the party and spoke afterwards about fears in such big games.

“I was a bit more nervous today,” said Draper. “I'm an anxious person. When everything comes together, I feel a bit nauseous on the court and feel bad when things get tight.” Sinner was enthusiastic about the 22-year-old: “Jack and I know each other very well, we're good friends. It was a very physical match,” said the South Tyrolean. “Semifinals at a Grand Slam are something different. You feel a lot of tension.”

Sinner wins second Grand Slam title

The 23-year-old can now hope for his second Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open in January. In the final, Sinner will face the winner of the American duel between Alexander Zverev's conqueror Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe. Sinner is under special observation after two positive doping tests in the spring and his acquittal shortly before the tournament.

Draper held his own at times in the biggest match of his career, but his play was too inconsistent. The world number 25 made ten double faults in total. Before this match, he had not lost a single set in the tournament.

Draper looks for cooling

In the second set, the 22-year-old was obviously not feeling well, he vomited several times and then cleaned the court with a towel. In the humid conditions, he tried to get colder air from a hose when changing sides by wrapping ice towels around his neck and thighs.

Sinner also had problems. When running back at 4:4 in the second set, he fell on his left wrist and had to be treated on the bench like Draper. This loosened up the wrist, said Sinner. “We'll have to see how it is tomorrow when it's colder. It will be different. Hopefully there's nothing I have to worry about.” In the third set, he won the last four games in the series and converted his first match point after 3:03 hours.

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DPA