New York [US], September 2 : World number one Jannik Sinner steamrolled past 23rd seed Alexander Bublik to qualify for the quarter-finals at the ongoing US Open, keeping his title defence alive and ensuring he remained unbeaten in Melbourne or New York since 2023.
After shrugging off an unprecedented scare from Denis Shapovalov in the previous round, the Italian star returned to his flawless self. Without breaking a sweat, he clobbered Bublik with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory in a contest that lasted for an hour and 21 minutes.
"Overall, I'm very, very happy. [It was] the first time this year that I can play the night match here, and it makes [such] a big difference. I wanted to say thanks to everyone for coming, for cheering. This is a very special occasion for us players, so thank you so much," Sinner said as quoted from ATP.com.
Bublik marched into the Arthur Ashe Stadium after not dropping a single service game through three rounds. However, Sinner posed an entirely different challenge of a different magnitude. Sinner effortlessly won the opening two games and never looked back.
He broke his Kazakhstani opponent's serve eight times, faced just one break point, and remained the prime architect behind the second-shortest completed men's singles match of the tournament, continuing his journey in the US. Everything that Bublik had thrown from his arsenal at Sinner, even his most effective drop shot, was effectively subdued.
"We know each other very well. We had some tough battles, especially this year, so we know each other a little bit better now how we play. He just said congrats and wished me all the best. He had a very tough match the last match playing five sets, finishing very late. Today he didn't serve as good as he usually serves, so I broke him very early in every set, which then gave me the confidence to serve a little bit better," Sinner added.
It will be an all-Italian final eight clash with Sinner set to battle against 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti. The world number one is yet to lose a contest against a fellow Italian, who is possibly one of the "biggest talents" in the world of tennis.
"It's great to see. Italian tennis is in great form now. We have so many players, so many different game styles. Lorenzo is maybe one of the biggest talents we have in our sport, so I'm looking forward to this one. From an Italian point of view, it's great to have, for sure, one Italian player in the semis," he said.
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