NEW YORK – Janik Sinner began defending the US open title on Tuesday, appearing to have fully recovered from his recent illness as he won Vitt Copriva 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
The top-ranked sinner had to stop playing in the Cincinnati final against Carlos Alcaraz on August 18th.
However, he had time to recover in the first round match, spreading over three days with the tournament’s new Sunday start. He showed no signs of the virus when he ran through his 28-year-old Czech opponent.
“Obviously, I’m very pleased that I’ve done my best to be healthy again and that we’ve come to the best shape here,” Sinner said.
Thinner sometimes appeared to be troubled by the swelling of the tape with his right ring finger, but the injury did not affect his play. (He only admitted three games in his third match against Gili Lehecca at the French Open.)
Thinner never lost any of his 11 service games, earning 83% of his first serve points, saving two breakpoints.
The 24-year-old Italian won his second Grand Slam title when he defeated Taylor Fritz at the Flushing Meadows last year, and added two more this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. He is about to join Rodler, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only man to reach the finals of all four Grand Slams in the same year during the opening era that began in 1968.
“It’s obviously different every year,” the sinner said. After injuring his elbow in the fall of Wimbledon, he showed off the white arm sleeves he had begun to wear. “You’re coming here starting this tournament. Hopefully, the best way possible. That’s what I did.”
He won 26 straight on the hard court before the Cincinnati Finals, extending his victory in the hard court major to 22 games.
Since Federer’s five straight titles from 2004 to 2008, no one has gathered two consecutive two at the US Open.
I was asked why the sinner might be like that.
“We’re heading towards the end of the season, so some players, they’re tired. Some players, they feel different. A lot of things can change. It’s also the last big trophy of the year. … I always say the future is unpredictable,” he said. “So I don’t know what will happen this time.”
Either the sinner or Alcaraz combined to win the past seven major titles will be able to own the top ATP rankings after this 15 days.
But first, the second round of sinners will be Alexei Popilin, the winner of Emil Luusvoli’s 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Popilin knocked out the defending US Open champion in Djokovic in the third round last year. He has never knocked out the US Open Defending Champion in a series of open times. The last man to beat the defending champion in a back-to-back years in every major was Wimbledon’s Sam Query (who lost Djokovic in the third round of 2016 and beat Andy Murray in the 2017 quarter-finals).
It was Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti who would move forward and join the sinner on Tuesday. No. 10 seeds needed four sets, but eventually passed through French Giovannim Petosiparis Seeds 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
No in the results of the first round of other male singles. 27 Dennis Shapovalov beat Merton Fuccovis in a straight set, and No. 19 Francisco Celdoro had to rally from a deficit in two sets before winning Matteo Arnald 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3. It’s the first time that Cerúndolo has come together from two sets and won a final five matches.
No. 23 Alexander Bublik eliminated 2014 champions Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, and 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, defeating Billy Harris 6-4, 7-6 (8), 6-4.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.