Efficient Sinner eases into US Open third round

US Open 2025

Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York

In straight sets, world number 36 Alexei Popyrin defeated defending champion Jannik Sinner to ensure a secure passage to the third round of the US Open.

In a dominant first-round victory over Vit Kopriva, the 24-year-old world number one had only lost four games.

And Sinner put up yet another strong fight against Australian Popyrin, who defeated Novak Djokovic in the third round of the previous year’s competition without posing a chance of winning again.

In just over two hours, the Italian triumphed over Popyrin in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Popyrin at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sinner, who made progress despite only getting 51% of his first serves in, said, “I felt like we both didn’t serve well but I was returning very well, especially on the second serve.”

“I’m very happy about today,” he said. I’m obviously working on the serve, but I’m feeling pretty comfortable with the rest.

Sinner won two straight Australian Open titles and won 23 matches in a row at hard-court Grand Slams.

In July, he also won at Wimbledon on the grass.

Midway through the second set, Sinner showed his ruthlessness by saving three break points to secure a crucial hold while serving at 3-2 with a break.

Sinner broke with love in the very next game, denouncing any chance of a Popyrin comeback.

Through a difficult four-set set against American Tristan Boyer, Russian Andrey Rublev joined Sinner in round three.

Boyer, who is ranked 113th in the world, extended the match by winning the third set before Rublev, who is the 15th seed, won 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 in the fourth set by breaking a tie-break.

Coleman Wong, who won four sets over Adam Walton in Australia to add to Rublev’s record-breaking first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic, will be his next opponent.

Wong became the first Hong Kong male player to win a Grand Slam singles competition during the Open era thanks to his first-round success.

Rublev, a 21-year-old qualifier, will next face him, who has reached 10 Grand Slam quarter-finals without ever making the final four.