Efficient Sinner eases into US Open third round

Jannik Sinner has not lost a game on serve in either of his first two matches at this years US Open

US Open 2025

Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September

Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website & app

Defending champion Jannik Sinner beat world number 36 Alexei Popyrin in straight sets to secure a safe passage through to round three of the US Open.

The world number one, 24, had lost just four games in a dominant first-round victory over Vit Kopriva.

And Sinner produced another efficient display against Australian Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic in the third round of last years tournament but did not threaten a repeat here.

The Italian broke Popyrins serve early in each of the three sets and wrapped up a clinical 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium in just over two hours.

"I felt like we both didnt serve great but I was returning very well, especially on the second serve," said Sinner, who progressed despite only landing 51% of his first serves in.

"Im very happy about today. Obviously Im aiming to improve the serve but, about the rest, I feel quite comfortable."

Sinner will face Denis Shapovalov, the 27th seed from Canada, in the third round.

Sinner has now won 23 matches in a row at hard-court Grand Slams, taking in his victory at Flushing Meadows last year and two consecutive title triumphs at the Australian Open.

He was also victorious on the grass at Wimbledon in July.

Sinners ruthlessness was demonstrated midway through the second set when, serving at 3-2 up with a break, he saved three break points to secure an important hold.

In the very next game, Sinner broke to love, quashing any hope of a Popyrin fightback.

There was a similar pattern at the start of set three when Popyrin failed to capitalise from 15-40 on Sinners serve, and the four-time Grand Slam winner again made his opponent pay with a break to love in the subsequent game.

Russian Andrey Rublev came through a tough four-set encounter with American Tristan Boyer to join Sinner in round three.

Boyer, ranked 113th in the world, extended the match by taking the third set before 15th seed Rublev completed a 6-3 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-4) victory by winning a fourth-set tie-break.

Rublevs next opponent will be Coleman Wong, who backed up his history-making first-round victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic with a four-set win over Australias Adam Walton.

Wongs first-round success made him the first male player from Hong Kong to win a Grand Slam singles match in the Open era.

The 21-year-old qualifier will next face Rublev, who has appeared in 10 Grand Slam quarter-finals without ever reaching the last four of a major.

Elsewhere, Italian 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti was a 6-4 6-0 6-2 winner over Belgian veteran David Goffin.