Jannik Sinner advances to the 3rd round of the US Open

Jannik Sinner comfortably overcame Alexei Popyrin in the 2nd round of the 2025 US Open, lengthening his streak of 23 consecutive wins on Grand Slam hard courts and maintaining his pursuit to retain the championship.

Jannik Sinner maintained his impressive form at the 2025 US Open by securing a convincing win in the 2nd round, advancing to the 3rd round and keeping his hopes alive to defend his title. The world number one took just over 90 minutes to defeat Alexei Popyrin with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Popyrin, who caused an upset by eliminating Novak Djokovic last year and is a former Canadian Masters 1000 champion, was unable to surprise Sinner this time.

This marks Sinner’s 23rd consecutive victory on Grand Slam hard courts, placing him among the top six longest winning streaks in the Open Era. Although far from Roger Federer’s record of 40 straight wins, the 23-year-old Italian’s current performance demonstrates remarkable consistency.

After the match, Sinner expressed that he always strives to play his best tennis and was pleased to have controlled the first two rounds with confidence.

“The first match is always different from the others. I’m very happy to have gotten through the first two matches playing at my highest level,”the Italian player stated.

In the first two sets, Sinner quickly broke his opponent’s serve to take control of the match. Despite struggling with a first-serve percentage of only 38% in the second set, he managed to compensate with powerful groundstrokes and solid defensive skills.

In the third set, Sinner saved two break points early on, then won five of the next six games to close out the match, raising his total wins for the season to 33.

He admitted he was not fully satisfied with his serving but felt confident in other areas, particularly his return game, which provided a significant advantage in this match.

Sinner’s next opponent in the 3rd round will be the 27th seed Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian player recently defeated Valentin Royer in four sets, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3. This marks Shapovalov’s first time reaching the 3rd round at the US Open since 2022, although he had previously made the quarterfinals in 2020.

Notably, Shapovalov leads their head-to-head 1-0 after beating Sinner at the Australian Open four years ago. Their upcoming rematch is expected to be thrilling, as both players are known for their aggressive baseline play.

This US Open holds special significance for Sinner as it directly impacts his ATP world No. 1 ranking. The Italian currently holds 9,580 points, trailing Carlos Alcaraz by just 60 points.

This means Sinner needs to advance at least one round further than Alcaraz or win the title if both reach the final to maintain his top spot. Given his current form, Sinner appears confident and determined to continue his title defense despite the tough challenges ahead.