Jannik Sinner has revealed the lesson he learnt from watching rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic crash out of the US Open on consecutive nights.
The men’s draw was blown open after Alcaraz was upset by Botic van de Zandschulp and then Djokovic lost to Alexei Popyrin.
Neither the No 2 or No 3 seed reached the fourth round, leaving the door open for Sinner to claim his first US Open title – and his second Grand Slam of the year.
The world No 1 avoided his own upset by securing a straight sets win over Christopher O’Connell on Saturday.
Following his 6-1 6-4 6-2 win, Sinner explained the psychological challenge of trying to play knowing that his two biggest rivals had been beaten.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner is the favorite to win the US Open after his two rivals crashed out
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were beaten in rounds three and two, respectively
‘It shows that this sport is unpredictable,’ he explained. ‘Whenever you drop a little bit of your level – if it’s mental, if it’s tennis-wise or physical – at the end it has a huge impact on the result.
‘Both opponents who they lost against, they played some incredible tennis. And it happens.
‘So I just watch on my side what I have to do – that I guess I have done also in last period of time – and then we will see what I can do.’
Sinner will now take on American Tommy Paul in a blockbuster clash for a place in the quarterfinals.
The No 14 seed beat Canada’s Gabriel Diallo in four sets and Sinner said: ‘It’s a big challenge… he plays some great tennis, especially here in America, so it’s gonna be a tough match for me.
‘But hopefully I’m ready to compete in the best possible way, and I’m just looking forward to it. These matches are very exciting to play and I’m happy to be part of this. So let’s see.’
