Alexei Popyrin gave his all, from winning a draining 30-shot rally to attacking fearlessly at the net, but still nothing could stop him ending up with that same sinking feeling which keeps befalling the luckless opponents of Jannik Sinner at hard-court grand slams.
The reigning champion did not even have to be at his very best on Thursday as he dismantled the dangerous Australian 6-3 6-2 6-2 in their one-sided US Open duel on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Popyrin, who had knocked out Novak Djokovic at Flushing Meadows in 2024, was exactly the sort of opponent Sinner would have wanted to avoid in the last-64 but, in truth, the battling Sydneysider never really laid a glove on him as he sought to take out a defending champ for the second year running.
