Familiar faces in an unfamiliar territory! Jannik Sinner takes on his close friend Jack Draper in the SF of the 2024 US Open. This is the first time either player has reached a hard court Grand Slam semifinal. With his recent win over Daniil Medvedev, Sinner has now become the first man born after 1988 to reach the SF of all four major events. On the other hand, Draper has become the first man to reach the US Open SF without dropping a set since Medvedev (2020).

Having said that, it’s true that he has not come up against a sturdy opponent like Sinner in his previous matches. Even the world’s number one admitted, “It’s going to be a tough match. He hasn’t lost one set yet. He’s playing great. He’s serving great.” So fasten your seatbelts for a blockbuster showdown at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium! But first, let’s analyze the odds!

Jannik Sinner vs Jack Draper: Preview

Sinner has played some exceptional tennis in the 2024 season. He started the season with a bang, winning the AO and so far he has managed to win 5 titles this season. In this tournament, he has come up with quite a few challenges in his previous matches. He started with a four-set victory against America’s Mackenzie McDonald in the R1. Then in the QF, he yet again had to play a four-set thriller against Daniil Medvedev. We have seen a fair bit of resilience from the world number 1 in his previous matches. What can we expect in the next match?

His opponent in the SF, Jack Draper, is having a dream run in NY! His victories have looked relatively effortless. He defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the QF by 6-3,7-5,6-2. It will be interesting to see how this youngster approaches this match against one of the best in business. Draper won a title this year in Stuttgart. Can he become the first British men’s singles US Open finalist since Andy Murray? Well, do you know the two Brits to reach this stage in NY were Murray (2012) and Emma Raducanu (2021)? Both of them went on to win the title! 

Sinner vs Draper: Head-to-Head

Well, Jannik Sinner has played against Jack Draper only once in his career so far. Interestingly, the Brit currently leads the H2H scoreline with a fine margin (1-0). However, just before the US Open, they teamed up to play at the doubles event in the 2024 Canadian Open. So, they perhaps must be quite aware of their strengths and weaknesses by now.

• 2021 Queen’s Club Championships R32: Draper 7-6(6),7-6(2).

Prediction: Sinner to win in four sets

With the form they have been in this tournament, we can surely expect some fight in this intriguing encounter. If we take a look at their overall record this season, Jannik Sinner (1) has a win-loss record of 54-7, while Jack Draper (25) has recorded just 29-17. However, the 22-year-old Brit comes up with a fearless approach, and on his day, he surely can disrupt a few equations with his powerful brand of tennis!

“I knew that my time would come,” said the fearless 22-year-old Brit before entering into his maiden Grand Slam SF. Draper is an extremely ambitious figure who is hungry to bring more big titles into his bag. Although he has struggled a bit with injuries in the past, now it seems his time has finally arrived. His powerful baseline game, along with his fiery serves and stellar volleys, makes him a mighty challenger on the Tour. Apart from that, he also has a good backhand, and he will keep Sinner on his toes with his tidy playing style. 

Another thing which makes this player extremely special is that he’s a natural right-hander who plays with his left hand. This helps him to generate some real power behind his double-handed backhands.

Now, if we look at Sinner’s playing style, well the Italian is more of an aggressive baseliner, and in fact, he’s one of the hardest hitters on the Tour, He can generate a lot of topspin with his two-handed backhands and he’s quite capable with his forehands. His unique ability to bring a lot of variation into his game right from being insane net play to serve-and-volley makes him a real threat in men’s Tour. Apart from that, Jannik Sinner also surprises his opponents with his lob shots and slices.

His cool and calm nature is something that has always helped him to bounce back from challenging phases during a match. For Draper to succeed in this match, he needs to frustrate the Italian. If he does, he can put up some real challenge in this match, or else Jannik Sinner has the capability of wrapping things up very quickly. Overall, looking at all the stats and their current form against tough opponents, Sinner looks ahead at the moment.