US open: Sublime Sinner, Swiatek secure safe passage

NEW YORK, september 1

Jannik Sinner avoided the fate of his top rivals, reaching the fourth round of the US Open while fellow top seed Iga Swiatek gained momentum in her quest for a sixth Grand Slam title after a pep talk from Serena Williams.

With defending champion Novak Djokovic forced out by a shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round and another title contender, Carlos Alcaraz, sent crashing by Botic van de Zandschulp in Round 2, all eyes were on Sinner. The Italian, who has managed the intense scrutiny following a doping controversy in the build-up to the tournament, thumped Christopher O’Connell 6-1 6-4 6-2 to underline his credentials as the outright favourite at the year’s final Major.

“This sport is unpredictable, no? Whenever you drop a little bit of your level, you know, if it’s mental, if it’s tennis-wise or physical, at the end it has a huge impact on the result,” Sinner said about the exits of Djokovic and Alcaraz. “Both opponents who they lost against played incredible tennis.”

Up next for the Australian Open champion is Tommy Paul, who is among a group of players keen to end a 21-year American wait for a homegrown Major winner, since Andy Roddick claimed the title in New York.

Paul’s compatriot and sixth seed Jessica Pegula advanced in the women’s draw with a 6-3 6-3 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but Ashlyn Krueger fell 6-1 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.

French Open champion Swiatek later swatted aside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-2 with a near-flawless performance after a chat with 23-time Major winner Williams, who returned to the US Open as a fan having stepped away from tennis in 2022. “It was really nice to see her. She has a lot of positive energy,” a star-struck Swiatek said.

Bopanna in quarters

India’s Rohan Bopanna and his Indonesian partner Aldila Sutjiadi progressed to the mixed doubles quarterfinals. Seeded eighth, Bopanna and Sutjiadi were pushed to the brink by Australia’s John Pears and Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova but eventually walked out 0-6 7-6(5) 10-7 winners in the second-round match that lasted one hour and 13 minutes. “Well sometimes it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” Bopanna said. The duo will next play fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and Barbora Krejcikova. Bopanna has also moved to the third round of men’s doubles with Ebden. India’s Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti were beaten 6-2 6-2 by top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacia Zeballos in the men’s doubles Round of 16. pti