Jannik Sinner continued his quest to win back-to-back US Open titles with a commanding second-round victory over Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Thursday.
The Italian world number one needed just two hours and one minute to cruise past Popyrin, securing a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win.
Sinner, who barely dropped a game in his first-round rout of Vit Kopriva on Tuesday, was just as clinical against Popyrin, breaking the 36th-ranked Australian five times during the match.
Looking ahead, Sinner will face Canadian 27th seed Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Saturday.
“Obviously, I try to play my best tennis; the first round is always different from the later rounds,” Sinner reflected after the match. “I’m really happy with how I handled these matches. When you’re up two sets and a break, you just focus on serving well.”
Despite both players struggling with their serve, Sinner’s return game was the standout. “It felt like neither of us served well today, but I returned well, especially on the second serve. I’m happy with how I played, and I’m working to improve my serve, but overall, I’m feeling comfortable with my game,” he added.
Sinner has already made it to the final of all three Grand Slams this season, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and narrowly missing out on the French Open title to Carlos Alcaraz.
He now seeks to become the first man to successfully defend the US Open title since Roger Federer achieved the feat with five consecutive victories from 2004 to 2008.
AFP
