Italian world number one Jannik Sinner has won his second grand slam of the year, beating local favourite Taylor Fritz in straight sets to claim the US Open.

Sinner was in commanding touch from the outset, and overwhelmed both Fritz and a star-studded New York crowd for the 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Sinner won his first grand slam at this year's Australian Open and became the world number one for the first time in June.

Sinner extended his current winning streak to 11 matches and improved to 55-5 with a tour-high six titles in 2024.

That includes a 35-2 mark on hard courts, the surface used at both the Australian Open and US Open, and he is the first man since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to win his first two Grand Slam trophies in the same season — something such greats as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer never accomplished.

Less than a week before competition began at Flushing Meadows, the world found out that Sinner had tested positive twice for anabolic steroids in March but was cleared because his use was ruled unintentional — the banned substance entered his system via a massage from a team member he later fired.

As expected, Fritz enjoyed something of a home-court advantage on a cool afternoon under a nearly cloudless sky and in front of a celebrity-filled crowd that included Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Sinner showed some early jitters, and when he played a loose game that included a double-fault and other misses, Fritz got an early break back to eventually lead 3-2 after 20 minutes.

That was pretty much the last significant highlight for Fritz or his fans until 3-all in the third set, when he smacked an overhead winner to get to 15-30, punched the air and screamed, "Let's go!".

After Fritz deposited a volley winner to earn a break point a minute later, he celebrated in the same fashion, and thousands around him went wild. Sinner then double-faulted, putting Fritz in front 4-3.

But when he tried to serve out the set at 5-4, Fritz buckled enough to let Sinner pull even by breaking. Sinner used a drop shot to lure Fritz to the front court, then slid a passing shot that Fritz volleyed into the net. Fritz bounced off his racket off the court.

Sinner loped to the towel box, not even smiling.

About 10 minutes later, the victory was Sinner's thanks to a closing four-game run. When it was over, Sinner raised his arms, threw his head back and closed his eyes.

By the end Sinner, the second Italian to win a singles title at the US Open, joining 2015 women's champion Flavia Pennetta, had an impressive ledger — just 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Fritz, and 23 winners.

ABC/AP