Sinner anesthetizes a Popyrin devoid of vigor

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🎾 Jannik Sinner vs Daniil Medvedev

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He lost four sets to Vito Kopriva in the first round and has yielded seven to Alexei Popyrin in the second. Life remains the same for Jannik Sinner, swimming like a fish in the water in his favorite conditions: Grand Slams on hard courts. He didn't even need to showcase his best skills on the court; a practical and effective version was enough to neutralize the few threats posed by the Australian. A correct, well-worked triumph, crafted with patience (6-3, 6-2, 6-2), to secure a spot among the top 32 in this US Open 2025 and set up a meeting with Denis Shapovalov. Could this be the turning point in his journey? At this point, I prefer to wait before saying anything.

If it weren't for what happened last summer, I would have probably looked at this match with different eyes. With Sinner on the court and merely a second round at a Grand Slam tournament, it's normal that any name that appeared on the other side of the net wouldn't pose a threat. But that name - surname, in this case - was Popyrin, the man who lifted his first Masters 1000 title twelve months ago, capping off his performance weeks later with an unforgettable victory over Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows. Just for this reason, theory compelled us to warn in the preview of this encounter, now all that was left was to sit and see what practice showed us.

The first act played out perfectly as expected, a 6-3 for the Italian, working from the first ball, starting the match much more focused and, therefore, taking advantage of an early break that disoriented his opponent from the get-go. It could have been worse if he hadn't capitalized on only one of the four break points presented, but it must be remembered that Alexei also knows how to play this game, especially with his serve. Nevertheless, beyond the score, the feeling once again with the world No. 1 was that either he puts a lot of effort in, or it's difficult to find an opponent who can match him. Now that the balance was already tilted, it was time to see what the Australian was made of.

Moving on to the second act, the story repeats itself, although with some unexpected bumps. For instance, when Sinner gets himself into trouble when he was already a break up. That's when several break opportunities arise for an Alexei who couldn't seem to find the consistency, the sheer consistency one needs to challenge any version of the Italian. If he's in his prime form, forget it, but even in notable form, he ends up punishing you with consistency and splendid reading in those pressure moments. Once again, the world No. 1 did just that, extinguishing those small fires, playing very smartly, and claiming the second set as if it were nothing.

POPYRIN, LACKING THE SPIRIT TO COME BACK

I feel sorry for this rather gratuitous attack on Popyrin, a good player who doesn't always put his heart into his matches. And when I say heart, maybe I mean belief. And when I say belief, I might actually refer to his tennis. I don't know, the point is that to come back from two sets down against Sinner, much more is needed, perhaps not even two Popyrins would have sufficed. The start of the third set was as expected, a quick break for the player from San Candido and autopilot all the way to the finish line. The audience, glancing at other court results, seemed to know the outcome of the match from the moment they took their seats.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner anestesia a un Popyrin exento de vigor