Jannik Sinner has appeared almost unbeatable this Grand Slam campaign, and his fourth-round encounter at the US Open was no different. Following a wobbly third-round encounter with Denis Shapovalov, in which he fell behind in the first set and was 0-3 down in the third, the World No. 1 hit back in style. Sinner produced a close-to-flawless performance to demolish 23rd seed Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, advancing to the quarter-finals with ease.
A Brutal Display
Bublik walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium on the strength of a perfect serving record over three rounds, but Sinner soon put an end to that run with two breaks in the first set. The Italian then went on to take control of the match, breaking serve eight times while offering only a solitary break point. The one-hour 21-minute encounter was the second-shortest completed men’s singles match of the tournament.
The emphatic score matched Sinner’s most lopsided Grand Slam triumph, tying his 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 win over Jiri Lehecka this spring at Roland Garros.
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All-Italian Showdown on the Cards
Next up, Sinner faces compatriot Lorenzo Musetti in what will be the first-ever all-Italian men’s singles quarter-final at a major. The top seed holds a 2-0 advantage in their Lexus ATP Head2Head, and now leads Bublik 5-2 overall despite losing two of their previous three encounters.
Bublik Runs Out of Options
Bublik, having defeated Tommy Paul in a five-set thriller in the last round, was full of confidence. His combination of powerful serving and clever drop shots had taken him to three ATP titles this season. Nothing worked against Sinner, however, with the exception of a sneaky underarm serve towards the end of the match that elicited some cheers. The Kazakhstani could only smile as he exited the court after being thoroughly outplayed.
Records and Rankings in Sights
Sinner’s win not only reinforces his US Open title defence but also keeps him in the running to hold on to his World No. 1 position in the PIF ATP Rankings, with Carlos Alcaraz as a strong contender.
At the age of 24, the Italian became the youngest man since Rafael Nadal in 2008 to record 24 Grand Slam match victories within one season, as indicated by the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
