Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts to a blow against Denis Shapovalov, Canada, during the third round of the American open tennis championships on Saturday August 30, 2025, in New York. (Photo / kirsty wigglesworth)
New York – Jannik Sinner was broken for the first time in the week 1 of the US Open. Looked down the opening set, even. Also fell late in the third set.
“I’m not a machine, you know,” he said with the suspicion of smiling on Saturday. “I also fight, sometimes.”
Read: “ healthy ” Jannik sinner begins to defend open with a fast victory
Hmmm. Of course, Jannik, maybe. However, the sinner is player No. 1 in male tennis and won the last three Grand Chelem tournaments played on hard grounds, so nobody was surprised when he put aside a few shortcomings and emerged to beat the No. 27 Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 Saturday to defend Flushing Meadows in the fourth tower.
“That I have a pressure and a tension is normal. I have had it for a year, and you have to manage it,” said the Italian. “Either you manage it – or you don’t do it. … It is better to have to face it.”
Monday, Sinner will face the n ° 23 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan for a place in the quarterfinals. BUBLIK defeated No. 14 Tommy Paul of the United States 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in a 3 1/2 hour match which ended at 1:16 p.m. Sunday.
Sinner’s last triumph has extended his undefeated race from the hard field to majors at 24 games, covering the Championships at the US Open in 2024 and the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025. He also won the Trophy at Wimbledon on the lawn terrains in July.
Read: Carlos Alcaraz targeting “Incredible” Jannik Sinner in Us Open
But the Sinner series sequence in New York ended; He had claimed 14 games in a row since he left one in a victory against the 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in the quarter -final a year ago.
Sinner explained that his service did not feel very well on Saturday, and that Shapovalov read it well.
“I was able to pressure Jannik today,” said Shapovalov, “then who said that another player cannot do the same?”
The sinner has doubled to close the opening set, which previously presented a remarkable point of 30 times in which the two men struck drop shots. Sinner took this point by sprinting at the baseline and twisting his body to deliver a lob winner who just floated out of the reach of Shapovalov.
Read: Jannik sinner in race for fitness while US Open Title Defense is looming
After even bouncing the match to a set each, Sinner found himself dragging 3-0, Love-30 in the third after Shapovalov seized 14 of the 17 points.
“Key moment,” said the sinner later.
From there he took nine consecutive games to take control.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has succeeded.
“We were going side by side. It was a very close match. Many games were very close,” said Shapovalov, a left-handed left-hander who was a semi-finalist from Wimbledon in 2021. “He’s No. 1 for a reason. He treated it very well.
