new york: Jannik Sinner dominated the only player other than Carlos Alcaraz who has defeated him this season, routing Alexander Bublik 6-1 6-1 6-1 on Monday night to return to the US Open quarterfinals.
The top-seeded Sinner’s victory took just 1 hour, 21 minutes, the second-shortest completed match in the tournament. A first-round victory for Tomas Machac was a minute shorter.
Sinner lost to Bublik in June in Halle, Germany, in a warm-up tournament before Wimbledon, but that was played on a grass court. Trying to beat the defending U.S. Open champion on a hard court is an entirely different story — and almost impossible these days.
He will face fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti, the No. 10 seed, on Wednesday. The other quarterfinal that day will pit No. 8 Alex de Minaur against No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Osaka, Swiatek roll on
Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek rolled into the quarterfinals, showing off what once made each of them the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world.
Osaka dominated Coco Gauff 6-3 6-2 in their highly anticipated showdown Monday in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Swiatek rallied from down 3-1 in the first set to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-1.
“At the beginning, I felt like she was playing really fast,” said Swiatek, who is seeking her second US Open title and seventh in a Grand Slam. “I wanted to find my rhythm, but later on I really felt like I was in my bubble and in my zone.”
Osaka, in the quarterfinals at a major for the first time since 2021, is set to face No. 11 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the semifinals. Up next for Swiatek is American Amanda Anisimova in a rematch of her 6-0, 6-0 victory in the Wimbledon final.
The No.8-seeded Anisimova reached her first U.S. Open quarterfinal by beating No. 16 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-0 6-3.