Italian world number one Jannik Sinner came through an intense match against American Tommy Paul 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 on Monday at the US Open tennis tournament in New York, to take on Russian Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals for a first clash.
Another world No. 1, similar result: the Polish Iga Swiatek was relentless against the Russian Liudmila Samsonova (16th) 6-4, 6-1.
After the surprise eliminations of Carlos Alcaraz (second round) and Novak Djokovic (third round), the last two winners of the tournament, the quarter-final between Sinner and Medvedev on Wednesday becomes a final before its time, between the last two players in the men’s draw to have already won a Grand Slam title (one each).
Sinner (23), the new boss of world tennis crowned at the Australian Open, is led seven to five in their head-to-head by Medvedev (28), winner at Flushing Meadows in 2021. The Russian won at Wimbledon in the quarter-finals in their last clash, but Sinner had dominated him in the five previous meetings, including the Australian Open final, in five sets.
– “Pace” –
Before getting there, Medvedev (5th) easily got rid of the Portuguese Nuno Borges (34th) 6-0, 6-1, 6-3, and Sinner had to lead a great battle against the American Tommy Paul (14th), pushed on Monday evening by the crowd on the immense Arthur-Ashe court (nearly 24,000 spectators).
More accustomed to the heights of tennis despite his young age, the Italian handled the tie-breaks of the first two sets like a boss, before breaking at the start of the third set with a sublime passing shot at the end of the race.
“Mentally I didn’t start very well in the first set (two breaks behind) but I stayed in the game. There were some ups and downs but I found my rhythm at the end of the game,” commented Sinner, who will try to get past the quarterfinals for the first time in New York.
“I am more involved in the important points, that’s why we practice so much in training, finding safe shots, and knowing how to surprise,” he explained about his strength in the decisive moments of the match.
The Italian had started the tournament with a controversy following the revelation of his whitewashing by anti-doping after two positive tests in March, with several players denouncing the opacity of the process and the feeling of a two-speed anti-doping justice system. Not enough to stop him from playing great tennis for the moment.
– Muchova’s return –
Earlier in the day, Swiatek continued her perfect tournament, not dropping a set in four rounds.
Against Samsonova, after eight close first games (4-4), the Polish player accelerated at the end of the first set to break her opponent’s white (6-4) and score seven games in a row, proving too precise and too solid.
“I had trouble holding her serve at first, but I knew that if I continued to be aggressive I could get through it, I’m happy with the result,” said the Polish player, who won the title in New York in 2022.
The four-time winner of Roland-Garros will face American Jessica Pegula (6th) in the quarter-finals, “it will be a challenge”.
The Czech Karolina Muchova (52nd) easily defeated the Italian Jasmine Paolini (5th), finalist of the last two Majors (Roland-Garros and Wimbledon), 6-3, 6-3 in 1h09.
A finalist at Roland Garros last year, Muchova cut her season short after her semi-final at Flushing Meadows due to a wrist injury.
Operated on in February, she returned to the circuit at Eastbourne (grass) in June and has therefore played very little this year.
“It was my most serious injury, but I love this sport. In my head, I really wanted to do everything to recover. And here I am today!” she said, saying she felt “happy as a child.”
On Wednesday, she will face the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (21st) to try to return to the New York semi-finals.
Jack Draper, ranked 25th in the world, became the first British man to reach the quarter-finals in New York in the men’s draw since Andy Murray in 2016, thanks to his victory over the Czech Tomas Machac (39th) 6-3, 6-1, 6-2. He will play for a place in the last four against the Australian Alex De Minaur (10th), who beat his compatriot Jordan Thompson (32nd) 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
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