Jannik Sinner beats American Tommy Paul and flies to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles at the US Open. The Italian, number 1 in the world, today, September 3, in the round of 16 defeated the American, number 14 seed, for 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 in 2h42′. Sinner, who conquers the third success in 4 challenges with the American, will face Russian Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
The number 5 seed easily beats Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 in 1h51′. The Sinner-Medvedev match almost looks like an early final at Flushing Meadows, in a draw without Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who exited in the third round.
The quarterfinals against Medvedev, the precedents
The two tennis players meet for the 13th time in their careers. Medvedev leads 7-5 in previous matches and won the last face-to-face, the duel in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2024 won in the fifth set. Before the match on the English grass, 5 consecutive victories for Sinner, who indulged himself by opening the year with the success in the final of the Australian Open.
Sinner’s Numbers
In the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open, the Italian – the only one to reach the quarter-finals in all seasonal Slams and capable of winning 20 matches in the majors this year – comes after a solid performance against Paul, who confirmed himself as a top-level player on hard courts. Sinner shows an intermittent serve (49% first serves) especially in the first set but he has the merit of containing the best Paul – who scores 2 breaks but does not reach the finish line – and of placing the decisive shots when it really counts, in the tie-breaks of the first 2 sets. The third partial is all downhill and Paul gives up.
Sinner reaches the finish line with a show of strength in which he scores more errors (33) than winners (29): in the decisive moments, however, the best player on the planet is impeccable and Paul (33 winners and 43 errors) bows.
What Jannik said
“I can be very proud of my performance against a difficult opponent,” Sinner said after the match. “I can be really happy that I got through the round. It was crucial to stay in the game in the first set: I found my rhythm and raised my level. in key moments, in tie-breaks and in the first game of the third set,” he added.
Now, yet another challenge with Medvedev: “We’ll have to run a lot, I hope to be physically ready because it will be a battle. I won in Australia, he won at Wimbledon also in 5 sets in a particular match, because on grass the rallies don’t last long. Now we face each other on cement, he has already won this tournament: we know each other very well by now… In the eighth finals we both won in 3 sets, we hope to recover the energy to play a good match and we’ll see how it goes”
The match against Paul: the report
Sinner gets into trouble in the third gamecharacterized in an anomalous way by 4 unforced errors: the Italian gives the break to his opponent and goes into a prolonged break. Paul, ahead 2-1, scores a streak of 8 points to zero: another break and the American escapes with a very heavy 4-1.
When the first set appears compromised, the world number 1 raises the pace, lights up on the response and scores a partial 12 points to 2: in a few minutes Sinner mends the gap to 4-4 and is ahead 5-4 but is unable to convert a break point that would have been worth the first set. It goes to a tie-break and the South Tyrolean opens the gas from 3-3, scoring 4 points in a row and closing 7-3.
The second set has a more linear progression: the service dominates the scene, there is only one break point in the whole set and Paul cancels it in the 11th game, postponing the outcome also in this case to the tie-break. At the crucial moment, Sinner tries to break away (3-1) but is recovered (3-3) and overcome (3-4 and 4-5). It is impressive, however, how the Italian manages to interpret the decisive phase of the set.: the dribbling becomes suffocating and Paul crumbles. The American’s backhand collects 1, 2, 3 errors: Sinner takes the 7-5 that is worth the tie-break (the 14th won in the last 15 played) and a 2 set lead after 2h03′ of play.
Paul takes the blow and falters at the start of third setconceding break points in sequence. Sinner parries his rival three times, also missing a smash, but converts the fourth chance with a forehand that does not allow replies: pass invented 4 meters from the baselinein total extension, break and 2-0. The Italian does not give chances on his own serve (4-1) and demolishes the last resistance of Paul, who gives up his serve in the fifth game (1-5) and ends up knocked out. Sinner cancels 2 break points and brings down the curtain: 6-1, now the quarterfinals.
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