Jannik Sinner might need one of these matches in every Grand Slam event. He won Wimbledon, but was getting beaten by Grigor Dimitrov, one of the nicest guys in tennis, when the Bulgarian suffered a pec injury. Sinner went on to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
In the third round of the US Open, the ATP No. 1 was on the proverbial ropes against Denis Shapovalov. The Canadian has had issues keeping his composure during his career, but he began the match against the Italian at a very high level. He took the first set 7-5 and kept the pressure on the Italian in set two.
Sinner was able to get the break he needed in the second set to take it 6-4, however. The issues for Shapovalov, who played well while losing the second set, came in the third set. Shapovalov was up a break and led 3-1. Sinner was not playing anywhere near his best, and the Canadian was sharp.
Jannik Sinner takes care of Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the 2025 US Open
But things fell apart from there. Not only did Sinner get the break back, but he went on a run of winning nine straight games. By the time Shapovalov had any chance to reset, he had lost the third set 3-6 and was down 0-3 in the fourth.
At this point, the match was done. The Canadian kept looking to his box and sarcastically giving a thumbs-up, even though he was the one making the mistakes. The whole unfolding fiasco was disrespectful to Sinner, who had raised his game to a level Shapovalov will never be able to match.
The Italian was hitting shots, such as a backhand that went around the pole for a winner to get to 3-0 in the fourth set, that only he and Carlos Alcaraz can currently hit. They are the best players in men's tennis, but one reason is that they keep themselves under control. Denis Shapovalov can't seem to do that.
Shapovalov saved face by holding serve a couple of times, but there was no drama to the end of the match. It was firmly in Sinner's hands, and he wasn't going to let up. He took the final set 6-3.
Jannik Sinner will next play the winner of the Tommy Paul versus Alexander Bublik match in the round of 16. Bublik defeated Sinner on grass at the Halle Open ahead of Wimbledon this year.