No. 1 Sinner Advances to US Open Quarterfinals, Will Face Medvedev

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner secured a spot in the U.S. Open quarterfinals with a decisive performance, overcoming a sluggish start to defeat No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 on Monday night. Despite trailing early, Sinner showcased resilience, clinching both opening sets in tiebreakers before pulling away in the third set.

Sinner, recently cleared of doping allegations linked to two positive tests in March, will now face Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 champion, in the quarterfinals. This match will mark a rematch between Sinner and Medvedev, who previously faced off in the Australian Open final in January, where Sinner won after coming back from two sets down, and in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July, which Medvedev won.

In the match against Paul, Sinner fell behind early, trailing 4-1 within 20 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium, amid enthusiastic support for Paul from the crowd. Despite a noisy environment, including chants of “U-S-A!” and applause after faults by Sinner—considered poor etiquette—Sinner adjusted his game. After accumulating 15 unforced errors on his forehand in the first set, he improved his performance, finishing the match with only six additional errors.

The match hinged on the tiebreakers, with Sinner winning the first set tiebreaker 7-3 and the second 7-5, extending his winning streak in tiebreakers to 14 of the last 15, dating back to June's Halle tournament. His only loss in this stretch was against Medvedev at Wimbledon.

Sinner, who dropped his first set at the U.S. Open but has since won 12 consecutive sets, continued his impressive form from 2024, where he has a 32-2 record with four titles on hard courts and has reached at least the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Paul was aiming for his third career quarterfinal appearance and his first at Flushing Meadows, seeking to become the first American to defeat a No. 1 player at the U.S. Open since Andre Agassi in 2002. However, he remains winless in six major matches against top-10 players.

Earlier on Monday, No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev defeated Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3. The match experienced a brief interruption in the third set due to a fire alarm that disrupted the electronic line-calling system.

The top half of the men's quarterfinals will also feature No. 10 Alex de Minaur against No. 25 Jack Draper. De Minaur triumphed over Jordan Thompson 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, while Draper advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-1, 6-2, becoming the first British man to reach this stage since Andy Murray in 2016.