Sinner Easily Dispatches Popyrin and Advances at the US Open

Another quiet afternoon for Jannik Sinner in New York. The world No. 1 and defending champion dismissed Alexei Popyrin in straight sets (6-3, 6-2, 6-2) to reach the third round.

Often very composed in the early rounds of Grand Slams, Sinner was no exception against Popyrin, the world No. 36 who defeated Novak Djokovic last year on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Australian was never able to trouble his opponent, despite Sinner’s struggles on his first serve (51% for the match). A break at the start of each set was enough for the Italian to cruise to victory.

Having conceded only 11 games in his first two matches, the world No. 1 moves forward to the next round, where he is set to face Denis Shapovalov, who defeated Valentin Royer (7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-3). Their only previous meeting on tour was in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open, where the Canadian won in five sets. Since then, Sinner has reached a new level.