Chris O’Connell defeated by number one Jannik Sinner at US Open

World number one Jannik Sinner’s battle for a second Grand Slam title continued to gain momentum as he defeated Christopher O’Connell 6-1 6-4 6-2 on Saturday to reach the fourth round of the US Open.

Sinner, who is controversial and playing in New York after avoiding sanctions after two failed drug tests, needed a whopping 53 minutes to defeat his opponent, who is ranked 87th.

The Italian had a slow start to his first two matches at the US Open, but on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium he burst from the blocks to take a 5-0 lead before claiming the first set on serve.

Australian O’Connell offered some resistance in the second set, but Sinner took an early 2-1 lead and decided the set with a venomous cross-court forehand.

Sinner continued to surprise O’Connell with winning sets, bringing his total to 46. In the last set he hit two breaks, securing the win.

Australian Open champion Sinner’s strongest weapon was his flawless serve, hitting 15 aces and preventing O’Connell from getting break points in the three sets.

“Today was absolutely a great match,” said Sinner.

“I knew I had to play very solid the whole match. The service worked well today. I’m happy with my performance.”

O’Connell, who had lost all eight of his previous meetings with top 10 players, looked helpless throughout as his bid to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time failed.

In the fourth round, Sinner will face either 14th-seeded local hope Tommy Paul or Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo.

The Italian will be pleased to have passed O’Connell’s test, having seen two of his biggest title rivals drop out at Flushing Meadows this week, with both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic eliminated in the first week.

It is the first time since 2000 – and only the second time in the Open era, which dates back to 1968 – that two of the three top-ranked men have been eliminated in the first week in New York.

Djokovic’s defeat is also significant because this is the first season since 2002 in which no member of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis — Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — has won a Grand Slam.

Only one former champion remained in the pool: Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 winner.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Jack Draper defeated Alcaraz’s conqueror, the unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-3 6-4 6-2 to reach the last 16. Draper will now face Czech Tomáš Macháč.

ABC/wires