Sinner bounces back and accelerates after a slow start in his New York debut | ATP Tour

US Open

Sinner recovers and accelerates after a slow start in his debut in New York

August 27, 2024

Jannik Sinner went from strength to strength and finished almost at full speed in Flushing Meadows.

The PIF ATP Rankings World No. 1 needed some time to settle into his latest US Open campaign on Tuesday afternoon in New York. However, once the top seed found his groove, he barely looked back and qualified for the second round of the tournament after dismissing Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

For the Italian it was his first career win at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and he will face another American, Alex Michelsen, in the second round.

“First matches are never easy. I didn’t start well but I kept trying… and I’m very happy to have been able to turn it around and to have been there all the time,” said the Australian Open champion. Sinner looked in real trouble after a first set in which McDonald hit the ball with ease from the baseline and seemed to dictate the pace.

However, Sinner managed to settle in, speed up his shots and eventually took a two-hour, 23-minute win. “I have room to improve now and I hope to be better for the next match,” he said.

Sinner, who won his first Grand Slam trophy at January’s Australian Open and arrived in New York on the back of his third ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati, is now 49-5 on the season. The 22-year-old, who currently leads the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is aiming to claim a tour-leading sixth singles title of the year in New York this fortnight.

Daniil Medvedev, who returned to the place where he won his first Grand Slam in 2021, took the first step towards regaining form after the defeats suffered in Montreal and Cincinnati. The fifth seed began by defeating Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.

The 28-year-old’s first-round victory marked his 30th win at Flushing Meadows. Last year’s finalist will next face either Fabian Marozsan or Hamad Medjedovic. After dropping the second set, Medvedev quickly recovered by breaking the Serb in his first service game and held on to virtually everything for the remainder of the match to win after two hours and 33 minutes, improving to 2-2 against Lajovic in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Meanwhile, one of the surprises was the fall of Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded No. 11, who lost to Australian Thanasi Kokkinaki 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 and 7-5 in three hours and 54 minutes.

Did you know…?
Sinner is now 12-0 in early rounds at tour-level events this year, and is 12-0 in Grand Slam opening rounds since Wimbledon 2021.