Defending champion Jannik Sinner was made to work by former US Open quarterfinalist Denis Shapovalov through a three-hour, 12-minute gruelling encounter, surging to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 comeback win at Flushing Meadows.
“It was a very, very tough match today,” outlined Sinner in his on-court interview. “I’ve known Denis for quite a while, so I knew that I would have to play at a high level today.
“I’m very happy that I managed to win; he started off very well. I just tried to stay there mentally.”
On Monday, he will play either in-form Alexander Bublik or home hope Tommy Paul for a chance to return to the quarterfinals, having advanced to the sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive time in his seventh appearance in New York.
On Saturday, the first Italian man to ever win the US Open (2024) achieved a new career milestone, becoming the fourth youngest to record 20 victories at all four majors.
The 24-year-old extended his winning streak at hard-court Grand Slams to 24 matches, a triumph he had to dig deep to capture.
Across a world-class contest at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the four-time major champion got off to an uncharacteristically poor start, and after three tight games, he dropped serve in the fourth.
Thrilling baseline exchanges saw the players pushing one another, elevating the game while generating some spectacular volleys at the net, featuring brilliant shotmaking worthy of the “best point of the tournament” so far.
Then, the 20-time ATP titlist put on a late challenge, going from 2-5 down to breaking his opponent when serving for the set, capitalizing on his chances to tie the scoreline at 5-5.
However, the Canadian quickly shut the door, holding off the top seed by converting a double break to close out 7-5 as Sinner hit a double fault in the 12th game, one of four on the set.
The title defender had just conceded his first set at the event this season.
Shapovalov, who has found his feet this season - won two titles (Dallas, Los Cabos) - after struggling to come back from a knee injury, rose to the occasion, carrying momentum into the second set.
Meanwhile, the No. 1 Italian continued to struggle with his service; moreover, timing on his forehand seemed off, and his return game was notably lacking.
Nonetheless, he found his way back, outplaying his rival, converting the lone break of the set to inch ahead 4-3 in a physically demanding match and never looking back.
Excited to push forward, he powered through the former world No. 10, setting level at one set apiece.
From the second half of the third set, the 26-year-old dropped intensity, and the match saw its inflection point.
Despite not being at his best, the San Candido native trailed 0-3 with authority, saving a break point to set in motion a massive turnaround, consolidating a two-set-to-one lead.
He raced through the fourth set, winning 12 of the last 15 games, and eventually came out on top, weathering the Canadian storm.
Overall, the Italian hit 31 winners to 36 unforced errors and won 84 percent of the points on his first serve.
During his post-match press conference, Sinner emphasized that he is not thinking about defending the title; instead, he is focusing on day by day.
“It’s a very long way to say that you can defend a title. Now, I can say that I’m in the second week, which is already a great result, and then we’ll see what comes next,” he added.
“You practice for these kinds of matches, you practice in trying to get through very tough moments or situations on the court and trying to find solutions.”