Table of Contents
- World number one Jannik Sinner has advanced to the third round of the ongoing US Open after recording a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over Alexei Popyrin
- Heading into the tie, Popyrin was seen as a tricky opponent for the Italian considering he’s often at his best on hard courts and beat Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows last year
- However, Sinner stood on business from the first kick of the match and sent a warning to his rivals by beating the Australian number two in just two hours
World number one Jannik Sinner has advanced to the third round of the ongoing US Open after recording a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over Alexei Popyrin.
Sinner, who is one of the favorites to win the championship in New York, faced world number 36 Popyrin after a dominant win over Vit Kopriva. Heading into the tie, Popyrin was seen as a tricky opponent for the Italian considering he’s often at his best on hard courts and beat Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows last year. He also beat Sinner in their only previous clash on clay back in 2021.
Alexei Popyrin was seen as a tough challenge for Sinner but the world number one triumphed over the Australian in just two hours. Popyrin had beaten Sinner in their only previous meeting back in 2021 and knocked Novak Djokovic out the US Open last year. Photo/ Fox Sports.
However, Sinner stood on business from the first kick of the match and firmly expressed his desire to win. The world number one broke serve early in the opening set and never looked back. He clinched the first set in dominant fashion and only struggled a bit in the second set while serving at 3-2 up. The Italian saved three break points to deny Australia’s number two a way back into the match.
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Popyrin came close to catching up with Sinner once again when on 15-40 lead on the world number one’s serve but was punished with a break to love moments later. Despite securing a crucial win in his second round match, Sinner pointed towards room for improvement.
“Obviously, I try to play the best tennis I can. The first round matches are always different compared to the further you go. Today it felt like neither of us served well but I was returning well, especially on the second serve. I’m happy about today, I’m aiming to improve on the serve but the rest of my game I’m comfortable with.” Jannik Sinner is quoted by Sky Sports.
Denis Shapovalov is waiting for the Italian in the third round. Just like Popyrin, Shapalov also beat Sinner in their only meeting back in 2021. The Canadian has all it takes to record a stunning victory over the world number one and it’s only a matter of time before we know who will triumph.
Shapovalov reached the third round after defeating France’s Valentin Royer in the second round 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Thursday.
Jannik Sinner will face Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the US Open. Shapovalov and Sinner have only met once before and it was the Canadian who won the match. Photo/ Sportal.eu.
But with the kind of tennis that Sinner is playing, it would be interesting to see who stops him from winning another US Open title this year. The Italian has not lost a match at any hard court event since his defeat at the US Open by Alexander Zverev in the fourth round back in 2023. He is the defending champion of the championship in Flushing Meadows and will be hoping to end the year in style by lifting the title again this year.
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Sinner was the first Grand Slam winner this year when he defended the Australian Open. He lost the French Open final to world number two and his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz but won Wimbledon championship.
