(New York-Flushing Meadows) - World number one Jannik Sinner continues his solid run at the US Open, walking tall through the fourth round, beating Australian Christopher O’Connell in straight sets on Saturday afternoon at Flushing Meadows.
Top seed Jannik Sinner dispatched World No. 87 Christopher O'Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the fourth round at the US Open in one hour and 53 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
In his on-court interview, the world No. 1 expressed he was happy with his performance but also remarked he is taking things with caution, one day at a time.
“Everything can happen in this sport, so I try to stay on my side of the net, and I’m trying to take [the tournament] day by day,” he asserted.
“Each opponent is a very tough challenge, and [I am] enjoying every moment on the court. There have been already a couple of upsets, so let’s see what’s coming.”
The 23-year-old, who did not face a break point all match, converted 5 of 10 break points and won 82 percent of the points on his first serve.
Moreover, he finished with 46 winners to 22 unforced errors, striking 15 clinical aces.
The Australian Open champion will face 14th seed Tommy Paul, who fought hard to recover from a set down to beat Canadian qualifier Gabriel Giallo, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) in three hours and 26 minutes in Louis Armstrong Stadium, equalling his best result at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The 27-year-old American joins fellow compatriots Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, and Brandon Nakashima, all of them with sealed tickets to the US Open fourth round.
Meanwhile, Giallo, 22, enjoyed an impressive run at the major; the young player ranked at No. 143 shocked 24th seed Arthur Fils to progress into unchartered territory, making it through the third round of a slam for the first time in his career.
And he rose to the occasion, challenging the world No. 14 from the onset, getting the better of his opponent in the first set tiebreaker.
However, he would lose the following two sets before finding his strength again in the fourth set, racing to open a 3-0 lead.
Then, Paul used his experience to narrow the gap 2-3, digging deep into a four-set tiebreak he took with a forehand winner down the line to wrap up the set and the match.
Battling for a Place in the Quarterfinals
Sinner leads Paul 2-1, having played their most recent match in 2023 at the Canadian Open semifinals, a clash the Italian won in straight sets on his way to clinching his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto.
Asked during his post-match press conference about his experience facing the world No. 1 before, the American outlined: “We’ve had some great matches. I remember I played him on clay and had some match points against him. Then, in the last match, I think it was in Toronto, he played awesome. I didn’t feel like I did too much wrong. He kind of took the racquet out of my hands. I’m definitely going to try and, you know, make it uncomfortable for him.”
On his upcoming encounter, he stressed: “I got to impose my game on him and try and play my tennis more than his tennis.”
The San Candido native launched his campaign in New York with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 win against world No. 140 Mackenzie McDonald.
Building from there, he took out Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in his second-rounder on Thursday before taking the win over O’Connell.
