Top seeds Sinner, Swiatek continue US Open march as ex-champions fall
Al Jazeera
Local hopes Tommy Paul and Jessica Pegula progress to the fourth round, while Caroline Wozniacki continues a dream return.
Jannik Sinner avoided the fate of his top rivals, reaching the fourth round of the US Open while fellow top seed Iga Swiatek gained momentum in her quest for a sixth Grand Slam title after a pep talk from Serena Williams.
With defending champion Novak Djokovic forced out by a shock loss to Alexei Popyrin in the third round on Friday and another title contender, Carlos Alcaraz, sent crashing by Botic van de Zandschulp in round two a day earlier, all eyes were on Sinner.
The Italian, who has managed the intense scrutiny following a doping controversy in the build-up to the tournament, thumped Christopher O’Connell 6-1 6-4 6-2 on Saturday to underline his credentials as the outright favourite at the year’s final major.
“This sport is unpredictable, no? Whenever you drop a little bit of your level, you know, if it’s mental, if it’s tennis-wise or physical, at the end it has a huge impact on the result,” Sinner said about the exits of Djokovic and Alcaraz.
“Both opponents who they lost against played incredible tennis. And it happens.
