Italians Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini qualify for the last 16

While the US Open has already lost two of its main headliners – Alcaraz and Djokovic – Jannik Sinner continued to gain confidence on Saturday August 31 during the third round, in the hope of continuing his path towards a second Grand Slam title.

“I don’t have time” : this little phrase whispered by Christopher O’Connell (87th in the world) to his coach during the match sums up his helplessness against Sinner, extremely solid even if without much panache, who won 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

The Australian really had no weapon to crack the Italian’s game, whose mind seems to be gradually clearing from the weight of the revelation just before the start of the tournament of the two positive doping controls he underwent in March for an anabolic steroid and for which he was cleared.

“I knew I would have to be solid throughout the match. Everything worked well, I’m happy with my performance today”the world number one commented soberly.

After losing a first set in the first round and a somewhat complicated start to the match in the second, Sinner completely controlled his opponent in the third round.

In 2022, he was beaten at the gates of the last four by the future winner of the tournament Carlos Alcaraz, at the end of a very high-flying duel.

This year, his Spanish rival did not get past the second round and Novak Djokovic fell in the third, leaving the US Open draw more open than at any time in twenty years.

Sinner, for his part, sees it more as a threat than an opening: the premature defeats of the last two winners of the tournament prove that “Anything can happen in this sport”underlines the 23-year-old player, in search of a second Grand Slam title after the Australian Open won in January.

“When you lower your level slightly, whether it’s mental, physical or technical, it has a huge influence on the final result. The two players against whom [Alcaraz et Djokovic] lost played incredible tennis”developed Sinner, who will face in the last 16 the American Tommy Paul (14th), winner of the Canadian Gabriel Diallo (143rd) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3).

In the quarter-finals, logic would dictate that he face the Russian Daniil Medvedev (5th), the last winner of the tournament still in the running in the men’s competition and easy winner of the Italian Flavio Cobolli (31st) on Saturday 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, for a first big clash.

Having defeated Alcaraz in the previous round, the Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp was knocked out by the Briton Jack Draper 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, who will face the Czech Tomas Machac in the last 16.

Jasmine Paolini’s revenge

In the women’s draw, Italian Jasmine Paolini, ranked fifth in the world and finalist in the last two Grand Slam tournaments (Roland Garros and Wimbledon), qualified for the round of 16 by beating Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (32nd) 6-3, 6-4.

Paolini, 28, who had never advanced beyond the second round of a major tournament before this year, will have reached the second week of all four Grand Slam tournaments this season.

“This season has been incredible so far. I’ve had a lot of ‘firsts’: for the first time I won two matches in a Grand Slam tournament, now I’ve managed to reach the second week of every [tournoi] major… »she savors.

To reach the quarter-finals, she will face the Czech Karolina Muchova (52nd), who said she « fan » of Paolini, which the Italian woman, upon learning, retorted: “I’m a fan of hers too!” Then she elaborated: “I really like the way she plays. She can do all the shots, the slices, the volleys, the serve-volleys… She’s very complete and she’s going to be a very difficult opponent to beat. I hope we have a very, very good match.”

American Jessica Pegula (6th) dominated Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 6-3.

Unsurprisingly, Polish world number one Iga Swiatek swept aside Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (27th) 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour 32. Already crowned at Flushing Meadows in 2022, Swiatek (23 years old) strolled, breaking in the first game of the match, without once being in danger on her serve (no break point to defend). The Polish player scored an incredible point on a somewhat lucky return of serve at 3-1 in the first set, with such a backspin that the ball returned to her court without the Russian being able to touch it. At the start of the second set, Pavlyuchenkova fired a volley from close range right at Swiatek, who glared at her, without breaking her concentration to quickly wrap up the match. “I can still improve everywhere, my tennis is far from perfect, even though I am number one and have already won the tournament”she said. Swiatek will face another Russian, Liudmila Samsonova (16th) on Monday in the round of 16.