Sinner reacts to Djokovic, Alcaraz’s shock US Open losses: “Shows that this sport is unpredictable”

Jannik Sinner, the world No 1 from Italy, defeated Australia’s Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday to reach the fourth round of the US Open.

Sinner produced a serving masterclass in the third round as he smashed 15 aces and denied O’Connell any break points. He won 46 of his points with winners against the Aussie’s 18, also converting five of the 10 break points he created during the three-setter.

No 1 seed’s efforts are notably in stark contrast of what No 2 seed Novak Djokovic and No 3 Carlos Alcaraz managed in the first week in Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz exited the contention earliest among the top three with a humbling battle against Botic van de Zandschulp, world No 74 from the Netherlands, in the second round.

The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion fell terribly short against Van de Zandschulp. The Dutch broke Alcaraz six times and hit 22 winners to inflict a 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 defeat. The outcome meant the Spaniard registered his worst campaign in New York ever since debuting there in 2021.

Novak Djokovic‘s journey came to a halt in the third round where No 28 seed Alexei Popyrin beat him 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. The Serb sprayed a record 14 double faults to exit the main draw in New York after three matches for the first time since 2006.

Thus, Jannik Sinner remains the only surviving participant from the top three seeds after a gripping first week in Flushing Meadows.

“It shows that this sport is unpredictable.”

Jannik Sinner

“Whenever you drop a little bit of your level, you know, if it’s mental, if it’s tennis-wise or physical, at the end it has a huge impact on the result. Both opponents who they [Djokovic and Alcaraz] lost against, they played some incredible tennis. And it happens,” Sinner said in his Saturday presser.

Thus far, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz have shared the major trophies of the 2024 season. The year opened with the Italian triumphing at the Australian Open, followed by Alcaraz’s title-winning runs at the French Open and Wimbledon, and Djokovic taking home the elusive Olympic gold.

Notably, Djokovic and Alcaraz’s ranking points in the ATP tally took a major hit due to the US Open disasters. The Serb dropped a staggering 1,900 points as the defending champion and confirmed his exit the Top 3. The Spaniard had 670 points docked from his account after failing to match his previous year’s run to the semi-finals in Queens.

Jannik Sinner: “you have to improve”

Jannik Sinner now finds himself in a comfortable space at the top of the ATP chart with 9,380 ranking points in his column as the live rankings show Alexander Zverev, who stands with 6,875 points, occupying the second place.

Reaching the fourth round of the US Open means the Italian doesn’t need to worry about dropping points anymore because he has already matched his previous year’s performance. Zverev, meanwhile, has 160 more points to defend from his quarter-final finish in 2023.

Sinner still suggests he intends to avoid complacency at all cost.

“If you want to stay in the position where you are, you have already to improve. If you want to improve the ranking also and the way you play, you have to improve even more,” he added during the presser.

The world No 1’s next fight at the US Open is against home-favorite and seed No 14 Tommy Paul. Notably, he has played against Paul three times thus far and holds a marginal lead of 2-1 in the head-to-head.

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