Jannik Sinner let his tennis do the talking as he won the US Open for the first time.
The world number one came into the tournament under a cloud following his anti-doping scandal, where he escaped a ban despite two positive tests in March.
Many people thought Sinner was lucky not to be suspended but he put all that to one side to claim a second grand slam title of the year by ending Taylor Fritz's American dream in New York.
The 23-year-old Italian won 6-3 6-4 7-5 to add this crown to the title he won in Australia.
Fritz, backed by a partisan crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium, was hoping to become the first American to win the men’s US Open title since Andy Roddick in 2003.
It was not a case of him freezing on the big stage of his first grand slam final, he just came up against an unstoppable force.
Sinner has denied any wrongdoing over his failed tests and was absolved of fault or negligence by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
An independent tribunal accepted Sinner’s explanation that clostebol, an anabolic agent that can aid muscle growth, had accidentally entered his system via a product one of his team had used to treat a small wound.
But he came under heavy under criticism for the speed at which the case was resolved while some high-profile players, such as Nick Kyrgios, questioned whether he should still have been banned regardless.
Nobody can question Sinner’s ability on court however, as he proved why he is ranked as the best player in the world.
He was aided by the early exits of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic but did what he needed to do throughout a tournament he grew into.
Fritz had come through an emotional all-American semi-final battle with Frances Tiafoe to become the first home male finalist at
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