Top seed Jannik Sinner showcased his exceptional skills on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating American Alex Michelsen with a decisive 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 victory to advance to the third round of the U.S. Open.
Despite the lingering focus on his recent doping case, which has been thoroughly addressed with Sinner being cleared of any wrongdoing, the Italian star remained unfazed. He capitalized on eight of his 16 break-point opportunities, securing his ATP Tour-leading 30th hard-court win of 2024 in just 99 minutes.
In his on-court interview, the 23-year-old expressed confidence and a desire for continuous improvement. \"I feel like I can improve still a couple of things,\" Sinner remarked. \"But you have to be obviously very happy to be in the next round and so I'm just trying to get better as a player.\"
The match began with Michelsen showing resilience, coming back twice from a break down in the first set. However, Sinner's steady performance prevailed as he broke Michelsen once more to take a 5-4 lead and subsequently closed out the first set.
Entering the second set, Sinner elevated his game, swiftly taking a 3-0 double-break lead. Michelsen's serve faltered under the pressure, leading to an accumulation of unforced errors and allowing Sinner to dominate the remainder of the set.
Although Michelsen made a promising start to the third set, Sinner maintained his composure and continued to apply pressure, ultimately securing the break needed to finalize the match.
This victory contrasts sharply with their previous encounter two weeks ago in Cincinnati, where Sinner narrowly edged out Michelsen in a two-set battle to claim the title.
Looking ahead, Sinner is set to face Australian world number 87 Christopher O'Connell in his next match. With five ATP Tour titles already this year, including the Australian Open, Sinner is a formidable contender as the tournament progresses towards its final Grand Slam.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency had previously reported that Sinner tested positive twice for an anabolic agent in March. However, he avoided a ban after it was determined that he bore no fault or negligence for the violations.
Reference(s):
Jannik Sinner dumps Alex Michelsen to reach U.S. Open third round
cgtn.com
