World No. 1’s Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek ease into US Open third round
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — Both the men’s and women’s world No. 1’s – Jannik Sinner and Iga Świątek – eased into the third round of the US Open on Thursday.
Sinner advanced thanks to a straight-sets victory over American Alex Michelsen, with the Italian prevailing 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium, taking just one hour and 39 minutes to book his spot in the next round.
Then, in the following match on the court, Świątek produced a dominant display to book her spot in the third round, beating Japan’s Ena Shibahara while only dropping one game.
Sinner’s match was an even encounter to begin with before a break in the seventh game of the first set handed the Italian the early advantage.
Despite being behind, Michelsen arguably produced the moment of the match with an unothordox return to a Sinner serve.
The American appeared to lose his footing but was somehow able to get the ball back over the net by holding his racket upright. Not only that, but he was able to spring back up and produce a perfect backhand down the line to win the point.
That moment of brilliance wasn’t enough though for Michelsen as Sinner duly capitalized on the early break to take a one-set lead.
And from that position, the 2024 Australian Open winner never looked back, racing to victory against 20-year-old Michelsen behind some all-round impressive tennis.
Sinner’s serve was a huge factor in the win, as he successfully converted 81% of his first service points, as well as hitting 28 winners to Michelsen’s 13.
“He’s a tough opponent, we played each other in Cincinnati, so I knew what to expect,” Sinner said on court afterward. “I always love New York, it’s a very special place, every match is different, has its own story, so I’m very happy.”
The victory was Sinner’s 50th of the season, meaning he now has 50 or more victories in back-to-back seasons.
The 23-year-old will play either compatriot Mattia Bellucci or Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in the third round.
Sinner’s tournament comes against the backdrop of his recent doping case that became public knowledge last week – news that shocked the tennis world. Sinner, who avoided suspension after twice testing positive for trace amounts of a banned substance, has said he hasn’t done anything wrong.
After Sinner had left the court, it was Świątek’s turn to put in her own dominant display with her comfortable display over Shibahara.
The Polish player won 6-0, 6-1 on her way to victory, wrapping up her spot in the next round in an hour and five minutes.
Świątek hit 13 winners to Shibahara’s nine, but was almost flawless throughout, producing just six unforced errors compared to her opponent’s 28.
In doing so, she reached the third round of a grand slam for the 19th tournament in a row, becoming just the fifth women’s player to do so, per the US Open
Świątek will face either Elisabetta Cocciaretto or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.
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