NEW YORK — Jannik Sinner reached the fourth round of the US Open, avoiding the fate as his main rivals, while fellow top seed Iga Swiatek gained momentum in her bid for a sixth Grand Slam title after a pep talk from Serena Williams on Saturday.
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, stunned by Botic van de Zandschulp in round two a day earlier, all eyes were on Mr. 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 to underline his credentials as the outright favorite at the year’s final major.
Up next for the Australian Open champion is Tommy Paul, who is among a group of players keen to end a 21-year American wait for a homegrown major winner, since Andy Roddick claimed the title in New York.
Mr. Paul, the 14th seed, recovered from a first-set wobble to overcome Canadian Gabriel Diallo 6-7(5) 6-3 6-1 7-6(3).
His compatriot and sixth seed Jessica Pegula advanced in the women’s draw with a 6-3 6-3 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, but Ashlyn Krueger crashed 6-1 6-1 to Liudmila Samsonova.
French Open champion Ms. Swiatek later swatted aside Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-2 with a near-flawless performance after a chat with 23-times major winner Ms. Williams, who returned to the US Open as a fan having stepped away from tennis in 2022.
Roland Garros and Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-4 as the diminutive Italian continued to fly under the radar, but she could face a big hurdle with Czech Karolina Muchova up next. — Reuters
