The last time we saw Jannik Sinner ahead of the US Open, he was falling ill at the Cincinnati Open. He made the final, but he started poorly against Carlos Alcaraz, trailing 0-5. We found out later that the ATP No. 1 was dealing with an illness.
He is fit and healthy now, though, and should be considered the favorite for the title in New York. When fully healthy, he has proven over the last two years to be the best player on hard courts. Alcaraz is very good, but Sinner is trending toward being historically great.
Still, Australian Alexei Popyrin is always a tough out. He moves around the court well and strikes the ball well, too. He lacks a true knock-out shot, but he keeps himself in matches with his consistency and ability to extend points.
Jannik Sinner shockingly smooth versus Alexei Popyrin at the 2025 US Open
In other words, the second round of the 2025 US Open shaped up to be kind of tough for Sinner. Maybe this would be the match that tests him and keeps him ready for the rest of the tournament. Or, perhaps, he might even face an upset situation.
But this is Jannik Sinner we are discussing, and he is the high-end metronome of men's tennis. His ceiling isn't as high as Carlos Alcaraz's, but his floor is higher than anyone who has ever picked up a tennis racket.
The Italian began strongly and got the break he needed to take the first set. In the second set, Sinner got two breaks, so after taking set one 6-3, he won set two 6-2. There was seemingly little chance that the tough Popyrin had of coming back and making the match close. Instead, he just needed to wait until the presumed end.
To make matters worse for the Australian, the Italian got a break in the third set to lead 2-1. Any real drama seemed cooked at this point. Sinner got a couple of more breaks (making the whole bit seem easy) and led 5-2 to serve out the third set, which he did easily to take set three 6-2.
Jannik Sinner will next play the winner of the Valentin Royer and Denis Shapovalov match in the third round. Sinner will be a heavy favorite whomever he faces.