Sinner Battles Past Shapovalov, Moves Into US Open Second Week

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (photo: Jürgen Hasenkopf)

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, August 31, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Reigning US Open champion and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner put his 23-match winning streak at hard-court Grand Slam events on the line against 2020 quarterfinalist Denis Shapovalov Saturday afternoon before a capacity crowd of nearly 24,000 fans that filled cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium.

While Sinner showed you can’t win a Grand Slam in the third round, you can certainly lose a major at that stage.

For a set, it appeared that the 27th seed Shapovalov from Canada just might pull off an upset of the top-seeded but vulnerable Sinner. Shapovalov, 26, played pretty solidly and won the first set against the 24-year-old Italian after breaking him to go ahead 6-5. It was the first set Sinner had lost in New York after winning 14 straight going back to last year’s tournament. 

However, Sinner righted himself nicely from the beginning of the second set – except for a small dip of levels early in the third – and attacked relentlessly throughout the remainder of three-hour, 12-minute, third-round battle to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 over Shapovalov.

Sinner leveraged nine straight winning games against Shapovalov that began after he saved a break point to avoid going down 0-4 in the third set and continued until he had built a 3-0 lead in the fourth. From there, Sinner coasted and advanced confidently into the second week of the year’s fourth and final major. His victory over Shapovalov leveled their career head-to-head at 1-1.

“It was a very, very tough match today,” Sinner said during his on-court interview. “I’ve known Denis for quite a while, so I knew that I would have to play at a high level today. I’m very happy that I managed to win. He started off very well. I just tried to stay there mentally.”

Sinner won 12 of the final 15 games, which extended his winning streak at hard-court majors to 24 matches dating back to his 2024 Australian Open run to the title. He struck 31 winners while winning 84 percent (54 of 64) of his first-serve points, made 36 unforced errors and converted six of 13 break points. He withstood 30 winners – including 15 aces – from Shapovalov, who committed 47 unforced errors. Sinner outpointed his opponent 128-108.

“That I have pressure and tension is normal. I’ve had that for a year, and you need to handle it,” Sinner said during his post-match news conference. “Either you handle it — or you don’t. … It’s better to have to deal with that than not.”

Next, Sinner (34-4 this season), who is bidding to become the first player to defending the US Open men’s singles title since Roger Federer in 2008, will face World No. 24 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, who upset  World No. 14 Tommy Paul of the United States, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1, in three hours and 38 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium in a match that began Saturday night and ended at 1:16 a.m. local time. 

Bublik fired 22 aces and hit 70 winners to 55 unforced errors. He converted three of eight break points and saved all six break points he faced. Bublik outpointed Paul 179-160.

During his on-court interview Bublik said: “I have no explanation, but I was playing today and I was like, ‘Eventually it’s going to happen, right?’ He had a couple of set points and then I was serving for the match. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s hope not today’. I have [my] next match against Jannik, so probably that will be the match I will drop a couple of serves.”

Gauff earns 20th career match win at Flushing Meadows

After an emotional week filled with the pressure to succeed at her home major, 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff showed a sense of happiness during her 6-3, 6-1 third-round victory over No. 28 seed Magdalena Frech of Poland on Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday afternoon that was wrapped up in an economical 73 minutes. It was Gauff’s 20th career match win at Flushing Meadows.

Gauff reached the second week of the US Open for the fourth straight year by being solid from the baseline with her returns and also by gaining control of her serve, which brought her to tears during her second-round win over Donna Vekic of Croatia, in which she committed eight double faults Thursday evening – and a total of 18 through her first two matches.

“It’s exactly what Coco Gauff wanted: a simple, confident victory here at the US Open,” said Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport, who commented on Gauff-Frech match for the US Open World Feed. “It propels her into the second week of the US Open. We weren’t sure she was going to get there the first night she played [against Ajla Tomljanovic]. This is the best match she’s played all summer – and, maybe, since winning [the title at] Roland-Garros. … She served a very solid match.”

Against Frech, Gauff enjoyed a stress-free match in which she didn’t double fault during her opening service game or get her serve broken from the start. Her serve is still a work in progress. She recently brought in a biomechanics expert, Gavin MacMillan, to help get her serve back on track. On Saturday, Gauff committed just four double faults against Frech. She placed 76 percent of her first serves in play and won 71 percent (25 of 35) of those first-serve points. They represented big improvements over her previous two matches.

“I thought today I played well. Overall, I’m happy with how I played,” Gauff said during her on-court interview. “It’s been like an emotional week but I think I needed those tough moments to move forward. I was putting so much pressure on myself but I’m really out here just trying to enjoy it and not focus so much on the results or the process. I think today it shows I was having fun out there.”

Gauff hit 12 winners, won 10 of 11 net exchanges, converted five of 11 break points and was broken just once. She outpointed Frech 58-35 to advance to Monday’s fourth round against two-time (2018, 2020) US Open champion Naomi Osaka of Japan, who is seeded 23rd. 

Saturday afternoon on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Osaka defeated No. 15 seed Daria Kasatkina of Australia, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, in one hour and 44 minutes. It was her 10th win in her last 12 matches dating back to the end of Wimbledon.

In reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2021, Osaka struck 37 winners, converted seven of nine break points and outpointed Kasatkina 83-61. Osaka hit nine aces to run her total at this year’s US Open to 20.

“Honestly, I was just trying to tell myself to just stay calm,” Osaka said during her on-court interview, asked what she told herself after losing the second set, which leveled the match at a set each. “I felt shaky today but I was I thought it was an entertaining match. … Whenever I come here, I feel at home. I’m really grateful [to the fans].”

Other women’s third-round winners:

• On the eve of her 24th birthday, No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova reached the fourth round of the US Open for the first time after overcoming No. 50 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in two hours and 10 minutes on the Grandstand. Anisimova struck 37 winners to 46 unforced errors and converted six of 15 break points. She outpointed Cristian 99-89. Next, Anisimova will oppose No. 18 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil, who eased past No. 64 Maria Sakkari of Greece, 6-1, 6-2, in 70 minutes Saturday night in Louis Armstrong Stadium. 

• No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova won an all-Czechian battle over No. 21 seed Linda Noskova, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2, in two hours and 26 minutes on the Grand Stand. In a battle contested both from the baseline and at the net, Muchova won 15 of 18 net exchanges, hit 40 winners and benefited from 47 unforced errors by Noskova. She outpointed her opponent 115-95. 

Next, Muchova will face No. 27 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who rallied to defeat 107th-ranked Diane Parry of France, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in two hours and 26 minutes on Court 5. Kostyuk, who finished with 30 winners, outpointed Parry 104-90. It’s the first time in six US Open appearances that Kostyuk has advanced past the third round.

• No. 13 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia needed just an hour to defeate No. 52 Laura Siegemund of Germany, 6-0, 6-1, on Court 5. Alexandrova hit 15 winners, converted six of nine break points and outpointed Siegemund 57-29.

Next, she will face World No. 2 and 2022 US Open champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, who fought past No. 29 seed Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, 7-6 (2), 6-4, in one hour and 56 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday evening for her 23rd career match win at the US Open. It was her 17th match victory since the start of Wimbledon. She hit 28 winners to offset 33 unforced errors, converted five of 12 break points and outpointed Kalinskaya 88-77.

Swiatek, who rallied from 1-5 down in the opening set, is through to her fifth straight US Open fourth round after garnering her eighth straight win. She’s now won 17 of her last 18 matches this season.

Rublev fights past Wong in five-set thriller

Four-time US Open quarterfinalist Andrey Rublev, seeded 15th, kept his hopes alive for reaching the last eight in Flushing Meadows this year after holding off 173rd-ranked qualifier Coleman Wong of Hong Kong in a dramatic five-setter full of momentum swings on the Grandstand Saturday afternoon.

Rublev withstood 25 aces and 65 winners overall from the 21-year-old Wong, who was playing in his first major main draw at the US Open. He countered with 15 aces of his own and compiled 49 winners en route to his 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 third-round victory that stretched across three hours and 10 minutes. Rublev, who outpointed Wong 145-136, improved to 17-0 against players ranked outside the Top 50 at the US Open.

“Tough match, tough match,” Rublev said during his on-court interview. He praised Wong’s fighting spirit. “He played really well. He was playing really aggressive and with no fear. He was tough in the beginning. I didn’t start well and he was all over me. I needed to fight, I needed to fight for every ball to be able to turn around the match. He kept fighting until the end, until the last game. There were a lot of chances for both of us. I’m happy I was able to win and I’m into the next round.”

Next, Rublev will face No. 25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, who eliminated World No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 6-4, in three hours and 48 minutes on Louis Armstrong Arena Saturday evening. Auger-Aliassime won 24 of 27 net points, converted three of six break points and struck 50 winners – including 10 aces. He outpointed Zverev 141-121 to reach the second week of the US Open for the first time since he was a semifinalist 2021.

“Obviously job’s not done,” Auger-Aliassime said. “The tournament’s still going, but this means a lot to me. A lot of hard work, many years.”

Around the US Open

• In an all-Italian third-round battle among close friends on Louis Armstrong Stadium Saturday afternoon, No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti advanced by retirement over No. 24 seed Flavio Cobolli, leading 6-3, 6-2, 2-0 after one hour and 33 minutes. Cobolli received treatment to his right arm during the match and appeared to be favoring it during his service games.

“Honestly I didn’t want to finish like that, especially against Flavio, who is probably my best friend on Tour,” Musetti said during his on-court interview. “We know each other since [we were] nine years old and we know pretty well the families. We spend many, many hours together on the court and off the court throughout our careers. So first of all, a big round of applause to Flavio, please.”

After losing five of six matches prior to the US Open, Musetti has won three straight – over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, David Goffin of Belgium and Cobolli. Next, Musetti will face No. 44 Jaume Munar of Spain, who beat No. 48 Zizou Bergs of Belgium, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, in two hours and nine minutes on Stadium 17 to reach his first Grand Slam fourth round. Munar, who finished with 15 winners, outpointed Bergs 96-67.

• Swiss qualifier Leandro Riedi, ranked 435th, advanced to the fourth round by the retirement of No. 76 Kamil Majchrzak of Poland. Riedi led 5-3 after 29 minutes on Court 5 when Majchrzak retired.

Next, Riedi will face World No. 8 Alex de Minaur of Australia, who also won by retirement, over No. 56 Daniel Altmaier of Germany. De Minaur led Altmaier 6-7 (7), 6-3, 6-4, 2-0, after three hours and two minutes on Stadium 17 when Altmaier was forced to retire due to an injury.

• With men’s doubles top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool eliminated after being upset in the first round by unseeded Alexander Erler of Austria and Robert Galloway of the United States, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) on Friday, it means No. 2 seeds Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia are the highest-seeded team remaining in the draw. On Saturday, they rallied to defeat Diego Hidalgo of Ecuador and Arjun Kadhe of India, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4, in two hours and 48 minutes on Court 7 in their opening-round match. 

• Women’s doubles No. 1 seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States advanced to the third round with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alycia Parks of the United States and Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in 75 minutes on Court 12.

Also, 45-year-old Venus Williams of the United States and Leylah Fernandez of Canada moved into the third round after defeating Ulrikke Eikeri of Norway and Eri Hozumi of Japan, 7-6 (1), 6-1, in one hour and 37 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Saturday’s US Open results

Sunday’s US Open order of play

By the numbers

At 24 years and 14 days, Jannik Sinner became the fourth youngest man to record 20 wins at all four Grand Slam events. He’s 20-5 at the US Open after defeating Denis Shapovalov on Saturday.

“Quotable …”

“I think it’s the first time that someone proposed during my match. It was a very sweet moment, but I was just trying not to start smiling, because it’s very cute and I believe they’re super happy right now. …

“I was just trying to keep focusing on my game, and it was great moment. And as I said on court, I wish them a happy marriage.”

Defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka, during her post-match news conference, following her 6-3, 76 (2) win over No., 31 seed Leylah Fernandez on Friday evening. During the match on Louis Armstrong Stadium, fans cheered as soon as they saw a man drop to one knee with a ring in his hand to propose marriage. Soon after, the woman said “yes” through joyful tears as shown on the giant video boards.

 

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