Jannik Sinner remains firmly on track in his bid to defend his US Open title. The Italian advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating Denis Shapovalov in four sets, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, achieving a remarkable milestone matched only by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Boris Becker.
With the victory, the 24-year-old became the fourth-youngest player in history to record 20 match wins at all four Grand Slam tournaments, joining an elite list that includes Nadal, Becker, and Djokovic.
It was the toughest challenge so far for Sinner in New York. Before facing Shapovalov, only Alexei Popyrin had managed to win more than two games in a single set against him. The Canadian pushed Sinner hard, taking the opening set and even holding a 3-0 lead in the third before the World No.1 rallied to seal the win.
With the result, Sinner continues his campaign for a fifth Grand Slam title. He will next face the winner of the matchup between Tommy Paul and Alexander Bublik in the Round of 16.
Sinner on the match
After the match, Sinner acknowledged the difficulty of facing Shapovalov, a player he has known for years and always finds challenging to play against. Their last meeting came in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open, which Shapovalov won.
“It was a very, very tough match today,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I’ve known Denis for quite a while, so I knew that I would have to play at a high level today. I’m very happy that I managed to win. He started off very well. I just tried to stay there mentally”.
Looking ahead, Sinner stressed the difficulty of the second week at a Grand Slam. “Week two is completely different. You see less people behind the scenes. That’s always a great sign that I’m still here,” he continued. “It’s getting tougher and tougher physically and mentally. It’s obviously a special place for me. The first time that I played main draw in a Grand Slam was here, and I won last year”.