Jannik Sinner Starts with Dominance at the US Open
The world number 1, Jannik Sinner, began his US Open title defense with an impressive victory over Vit Kopriva, conceding only four games in a match that ended 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sinner demonstrated his superiority by not losing any of his 11 service games, securing 83% of the points on his first serve. In addition, he saved two break points against Kopriva, a 28-year-old Czech tennis player who was making his debut in the main draw of the US Open.
Despite appearing to be affected by a bandaged blister on his right ring finger, the injury did not seem to influence his performance. The four games conceded equal his second-lowest amount in a Grand Slam match.
Since the beginning of 2024, Sinner has accumulated a record of 66-4 on hard courts, the most wins on the men’s circuit during that period. Three of those losses were against Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner and Alcaraz, who together have won the last seven major men’s championships, are on opposite sides of the draw and could face each other in the final for the third consecutive time at a Grand Slam.
Sinner’s winning streak in hard court tournaments extends to 22 matches, the sixth-longest streak in history.
Advancing to the second round on Tuesday is also Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who, seeded number 10, needed four sets to overcome Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard with a score of 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Denis Shapovalov, seeded number 27, defeated Marton Fucsovics in straight sets, while Francisco Cerundolo, seeded number 19, had to come back from a two-set deficit before defeating Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.
