ATP Tour

Sinner punctures Popyrin’s power, books R3 spot in New York

Jannik Sinner ensured the dangerous Alexei Popyrin was not about to spoil his US Open party on Thursday afternoon in New York.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings eased to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 second-round victory inside Arthur Ashe Stadium to maintain his fast start to the hard-court major. A year after Popyrin stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows, Sinner rarely looked like being the victim of a similar upset during a commanding two-hour, one-minute display.

"It was a very, very solid performance," said Sinner in his post-match press conference. "I felt like we both didn't serve very well today, so we had a lot of rallies from the back of the court, where today I felt quite comfortable. Obviously I'm very happy to be in the next round."

Man on a mission 🚀@usopen | #USOpen | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/naiWtuYGqj

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 28, 2025

Facing an opponent renowned for his ability to take the racquet out of an opponent’s hand when on song, Sinner broke serve in the second game of the match to set the tone for what was an ultimately comfortable win. The Italian converted five of nine break points he earned and saved all five he faced to set a third-round meeting with Denis Shapovalov.

Sinner, who is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the US Open men’s singles title since Roger Federer in 2008, is now 33-4 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. Following his triumphs at the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025, and the US Open last year, the 24-year-old is now on a 23-match winning streak at hard-court majors.

By levelling his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Popyrin at 1-1, Sinner also kept alive his chances of remaining World No. 1 after the US Open. The Italian must outperform his rival Carlos Alcaraz in New York to deny the Spaniard from retaking top spot: Alcaraz currently leads Sinner by 60 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Arguably the most pivotal moment in Sinner's win on Thursday came in the second set when he fended off three break points, including one with a second-serve ace, to hold for 4-2. Popyrin’s chances to make a dent in his opponent’s defences were otherwise few and far between, with Sinner striking the ball with typical power and accuracy throughout.

Now 19-5 at the US Open, Sinner will next attempt to level another of his Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries at 1-1. Shapovalov prevailed in five sets in his only previous tour-level encounter with Sinner at the 2021 Australian Open. The Canadian set up a New York clash with the World No. 1 by overcoming French wild card Valentin Royer 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3.

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Andrey Rublev was also an early second-round winner on Thursday in New York. The 15th seed defeated home wild card Tristan Boyer 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4) to reach the US Open third round for the seventh consecutive year.

Standing between Rublev and a fourth-round spot is Coleman Wong. The qualifier from Hong Kong continued his dream run at Flushing Meadows by seeing off Adam Walton 7-6(5), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.