Jannik Sinner, the world’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, continued his dominant run at the U.S. Open on Saturday, dispatching Chris O’Connell in straight sets to reach the fourth round. The 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 victory extended Sinner’s winning streak to nine matches and further cemented his status as the favorite to claim the men’s championship.
Sinner’s performance was a masterclass in tennis, as he controlled the match from the outset. He broke O’Connell’s serve five times and never faced a break point himself. The Italian fired 15 aces and won more than twice as many winners as unforced errors.
“I felt like he was on from the get-go,” said O’Connell. “I felt a little bit clueless, to be honest. … Every single shot, I just felt like I had to do something with it, because he was just on me. He was suffocating me.”
Sinner’s victory came just hours after the stunning upset of Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, by Alexei Popyrin. Two days earlier, Carlos Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon winner, was also eliminated. These unexpected results have left Sinner as the clear frontrunner in the men’s draw.
“It shows that this sport is unpredictable,” said Sinner. “Whenever you drop a little bit of your level — if it’s mental, if it’s tennis-wise or physical — at the end, it has a huge impact on the result.”
In the fourth round, Sinner will face Tommy Paul of the United States. Paul, a 2023 Australian Open semifinalist, defeated Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo in four sets.
“He’s a great mover. He has improved a lot in the last period of time. It’s going to be a tough challenge,” said Sinner about facing Paul. “He plays some great tennis, especially here in America.”
Sinner’s victory also marked the first time since 2000 that the top two seeds in the men’s draw were eliminated before the fourth round. This has opened up the tournament and given other players a chance to make a deep run.
