And this unbelievable perseverance from top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner while competing in the US Open. After dropping a set earlier in the tournament, he cruised past Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 on Saturday. This victory extends Sinner’s remarkable unbeaten streak on hard courts at Grand Slam tournaments to 24 matches, solidifying his status as a formidable competitor in men’s tennis.
Sinner has been in exceptional form, winning the last three Grand Slam tournaments held on hard courts: the US Open in 2024 and the Australian Open in both 2024 and 2025. On top of that, he won the Wimbledon trophy on grass courts in July. His stack of wins in this year’s U.S. Open and his equal prowess in those Open on different surfaces only amplify this forcefulness in nature mantra.
Match Highlights
That said, the match against Shapovalov didn’t come without its challenges. The obvious culprit was Sinner’s serve, which abandoned him completely at times, including when he pulled a double fault to close out the opening set. Shapovalov took advantage of this, anticipating Sinner’s serve really well and putting him under pressure. Sinner capped off his prowess with a sensational 30-stroke rally that displayed the best from both competitors. He followed that with an incredible dash back to the baseline where he pulled off an unbelievable cross court lob winner.
Sinner overturned mammoth adversity in the third set as he trailed 3-0 and was love-30 down. True to his solid mental game, he came back to win the set going away. Shapovalov praised Sinner’s ability to handle pressure, stating, “He’s number one for a reason. He dealt with it really well. He fights extremely well. He did a tremendous job to turn it around down 3-0 in the third there.”
Road Ahead
Sinner, fresh off his first Masters 1000 title after beating Denis Shapovalov, Next up, he’ll face either No. 14 Tommy Paul of the U.S. or No. 23 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Thursday’s quarter-final marks another chance for Sinner to solidify his status as the new king of men’s tennis.
Sinner admitted that the expectations associated with his ranking weighted on him like a burden. He made sure to keep his emotions in check during pivotal matches. He remarked, “That I have pressure and tension is normal. I’ve had that for a year, and you need to handle it.” How well he’s able to deal with all of that will be key as he moves further into the tournament.
