New York’s fourth round will feature an encounter between the Italian and either Dimitrov or Zverev.
Jannik Sinner was able to meet the challenge posed by a past US Open winner on Saturday in the city of New York. The sixth-seeded Italian defeated Stan Wawrinka in four sets by scores of 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, and 6-2.
In a matchup between both of the purest baseline hitters on Tour, Sinner emerged victorious after two hours and 58 minutes of play on Armstrong’s Stadium by maintaining his composure during crucial points. After 2016 champion Wawrinka had surged to the second set to even the score in the pair’s 6th Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, he converted five of the thirteen break points he garnered, showing a remarkable ability to maintain his composure.
Wawrinka defeated Sinner, who was then only 18 years old, in four sets during the Italian’s maiden appearance in the main event of a Grand Slam tournament in New York City in 2019. This was Wawrinka’s first victory over Sinner in any of those three matchups. Four years later, Sinner demonstrated why he has become a seasoned Top 10 star by putting an end to Wawrinka’s recovery with some razor-sharp returns that gained him a pair of breaks of service in both the 3rd and 4th sets. This victory solidified Sinner’s position as one of the best players in the world.
Sinner stated in his on-court conversation, “Obviously in the past four years a few things have shifted, but I’m happy regarding my performance today.” “I’m pleased about my effort today.” “I feel as though I wasn’t performing at my best, just as he wasn’t performing at his finest, but at crucial times I managed it in a more effective manner than he did, and I’m glad to be moving on to the next round.
Previously in the week, Sinner shared with the group how his trainers Simone Vagnozzi as well as Darren Cahill have been urging him to improve his “net game.” The Italian was eager to take such counsel against Wawrinka, as evidenced by the fact that he won 81% (21/26) of points going forward in the match.
After both Sinner and first seed Carlos Alcaraz won their respective matches on Saturday, another match between the two competitors in the quarterfinals is still on the table. One of the most exciting matches in recent memory, Alcaraz’s victory over Sinner in the final eight of the 2022 US Open was highlighted by the fact that he overcame match point to prevail.
Last month, at the ATP Premier 1000 event held in Toronto, Sinner won the most prestigious trophy of his tennis career, and as a result, the Italian currently has a record of 44-12 during the season. Despite his recent outstanding form, the 22-year-old isn’t getting too far ahead of himself notwithstanding the fact that he has a chance to break into the Top 5 of the Pepperstone Group ATP Rankings on his own after the US Open if he wins his fourth-round match against either Grigor Dimitrov or Alexander Zverev.
Sinner stated that the sense of confidence is somewhat distinct from its previous incarnation. It always takes a lot to be in the 2nd round of a Grand Slam competition, and I’m extremely thrilled to be here again. With any luck, I’ll be able to take my game to the next level with each new match, and you can be sure that whenever I step foot on the court, I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got. Let’s watch how the following round unfolds, shall we?
