NEW YORK — They were both in the second set of their US Open semifinal on a humid Friday afternoon, simultaneously being treated by trainers: Jannik Sinner was getting a massage on his left wrist after falling during a point he had won; Jack Draper needed medical attention after vomiting twice.

The top-seeded Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian who was cleared of doping less than a week before the start of the matches in New York, was the better player throughout the tournament, claiming a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Draper to reach his first title fight in Flushing Meadows, and his runner-up finish at a Grand Slam tournament this year.

“It was a very physical match, as we can see,” said Sinner, who is right-handed but uses both fists for his backhands and continued to bend his left wrist after it was injured. “I just tried to stay mentally focused.”

While both competitors were examined during a changeover, a vacuum cleaner was used to clean the green behind the baseline where 25th-seeded Draper, a 22-year-old from Great Britain, had vomited, finishing a cleanup job he had tried to do himself by wiping the court with a towel. It was reminiscent of Pete Sampras losing his lunch during a win over Alex Corretja at the 1996 U.S. Open — and made for an unusual scene, to say the least, Friday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where temperatures were in the high 70s and humidity was above 60 percent.

Sinner, the first Italian to reach the singles final in US Open history, won the Australian Open in January and will seek his second major championship on Sunday against No. 12 Taylor Fritz.

As for his wrist, Sinner said the pain subsided as he continued playing.

“Let’s see what it’s like tomorrow when it’s cold. It’ll be a different feeling,” he said. “Hopefully it’s nothing to worry about.”

Last month, news broke that Sinner had failed two drug tests in March, eight days apart, but was acquitted after he said traces of an anabolic steroid were inadvertently introduced into his system via a massage from a team member he has since fired. The entire episode has been a constant topic of conversation as he has progressed through the US Open pool.

Sinner is aiming to become the third man in the Open era to win his first two major titles in the same calendar year. He would join Jimmy Connors, who won his first three major titles in 1974, and Guillermo Vilas, who won the French and US Opens in 1977.

The longer the draw between Sinner and Draper (two friends who played doubles together in August) lasted, the more the Italian’s advantage turned out, as the match lasted longer than three hours.

The second set alone lasted 89 minutes, the second-longest set for the US Open men’s team this year (the fifth set between Zizou Bergs and Pavel Kotov in the opening round lasted 96 minutes).

Sinner is currently the purest ball-striker in men’s football. Draper’s left-handed power and good hands (after his serves to the net or simply hitting volleys at other times, winning 22 of the 34 points he won when he went forward) provided some improvement, but Sinner got better and better as the exchanges went on.

Sinner took the point after 50 of the 80 strokes that lasted nine or more strokes.

“Jannik always plays at such a high level,” Draper said.

Draper is a talented player and hadn’t lost a set in the past two weeks until Friday, but his biggest problem as a pro was his body, and that was it again today. The weather certainly didn’t help. And neither did the tension of making his Grand Slam semi-final debut. And neither did Sinner’s tirelessness.

“It was obviously a very physical match. That’s obviously why Jannik is the world No. 1, because when you’re playing against the best players, the intensity is different,” Draper said. “I definitely felt, although I’m usually quite relaxed and stuff, today I definitely felt a bit more excited, a bit more nervous. I’m definitely someone who, I think, is quite an anxious person. I think sometimes I feel a bit sick on court, and I feel a bit sick when things get tough.”

Draper said he never thought about withdrawing from the competition.

“No, no, no, I’m not going to give up in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam,” he said.

The collection of empty water bottles continued to grow by Draper’s sideline chair as he tried to hydrate. He also asked for a can of soda in the third set. By the time it arrived, nothing could slow Sinner, who improved his hardcourt record to 34-2 in 2024.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.