By Rafael Cores
02 Sep 2024, 23:54 PM EDT
QUEENS, NY – World No. 1 is making solid progress at the US Open. Italian Jannik Sinner beat American Tommy Paul – and the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium – 7-6(3), 7-6(5) and 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the final “major” of the season, as he did in the three previous ones in 2024. Sinner, who has a 32-2 record on hard courts, is the first player to reach 20 Grand Slam matches this year.
The 23-year-old Italian will face Daniil Medvedev, the only surviving former US Open champion, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The Russian had no trouble beating Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3.
“It will be a tough match,” said Sinner about his next opponent, whom he defeated in Australia this year to win his first and only Grand Slam title. But who then eliminated him at Wimbledon. For many, Medvedev-Sinner will be the anticipated final.
Tommy Paul sinks in the tie-breaks
Sinner looked to have entered the match well at the start, running Paul from corner to corner. But he missed two break points in the second game of the first set and began to make mistakes. Immediately after, it was Paul who took advantage of two break points to go 4-1 up with deafening support from the crowd, mostly in favour of the American.
Perhaps it was those cries that woke up the world number 1. Sinner came back into the match, tightened his strokes, adjusted the distance and quickly recovered the lost ground. He took four games in a row and had a set point on return at 5-4. But the set would be decided in the tie-break.
There Paul missed perhaps the easiest shot of the night. A smash after a bounce, so simple that he perhaps relaxed and crashed the ball into the net.
The first chants of “USA, USA!” were heard during the tie-break. The chair umpire had to ask the crowd, out of respect for the players, to keep quiet between the first and second serves. Sinner, very successful with his serve, took the set.
Paul did not let himself down in the second set. Each player held their serve with ease until the 11th game, when at 5-5 Paul had to defend the first break point of the set. Once again the set would be decided in sudden death.
When Paul was closest to winning, 5-4 in the tie-break, he returned the next two points terribly, trying to attack Sinner’s second serve and sending both balls long. Once again, the New Jersey native let the set slip away.
Losing both tie-breaks was too much of a punishment for Paul, who gave up his serve at the first opportunity in the third set. The battle was already decided.
· Read more: All about the US Open