Top-seeded Jannik Sinner advanced to the U.S. Open quarterfinals after overcoming a slow start and clinching crucial tiebreakers. Sinner defeated No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 on Monday night.
The Italian player, who recently resolved a doping case involving two positive tests in March, will face 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev in the next round. Medvedev is the only past winner still competing in the men’s draw.
Sinner, 23, won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January by defeating Medvedev in a five-set final after losing the first two sets. The pair also faced off in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July, where Medvedev emerged victorious.
In his match against Paul, Sinner initially struggled, trailing by a double-break at 4-1 within 20 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American crowd supported Paul with chants and clapping, even after faults by Sinner, which drew repeated warnings from the chair umpire.
Sinner committed 15 unforced errors on his forehand side in the first set but reduced his errors to six for the remainder of the match. Both sets were decided by tiebreakers; Sinner won the first set tiebreaker 7-3 and the second 7-5.
Sinner has now won 14 of his last 15 tiebreakers, with the sole loss coming against Medvedev at Wimbledon. After initially dropping his first set at the U.S. Open, Sinner has since won 12 consecutive sets.
Paul, aiming for his third career quarterfinal and first at Flushing Meadows, sought to become the first American to defeat a top-ranked player at the U.S. Open since Andre Agassi’s win over Lleyton Hewitt in 2002. Instead, Paul fell to 0-6 against top-10 players in Grand Slam events.
Sinner, who has a 32-2 record with four titles on hard courts in 2024, has reached at least the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.
Earlier on Monday, No. 5-seeded Medvedev secured a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Nuno Borges. The match was briefly interrupted in the third set due to a fire alarm affecting the electronic line-calling system.
In other quarterfinal matchups, No. 10 Alex de Minaur will face No. 25 Jack Draper. De Minaur defeated Jordan Thompson 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, while Draper advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win over Tomas Machac, becoming the first British man to reach this stage since Andy Murray in 2016.
The men’s quarterfinals on Tuesday will feature No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. No. 12 Taylor Fritz and No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov vs. No. 20 Frances Tiafoe.
