Sinner back in US Open quarters by
routing Bublik, only player besides Alcaraz to beat him in 2025
[September 02, 2025]
By BRIAN MAHONEY
NEW YORK (AP) Jannik Sinner was so dominant Monday night at the
U.S. Open that his opponent had to remind him after the match that
he's not that bad of a player.
Sinner sure made Alexander Bublik look like one, though.
Sinner overwhelmed the only player other than Carlos Alcaraz who has
defeated him this season, routing Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 to return to
the quarterfinals of the tournament he won last year.
The top-seeded Sinner's victory took just 1 hour, 21 minutes, the
second-shortest completed match in the tournament. A first-round
victory for Tomas Machac was a minute shorter.
At times I felt like today I was playing some great tennis, and I
managed to break him very early, which then gave me the confidence
to serve a little bit better and play from the back of the court a
bit better, Sinner said.
It was a faster, or a fast match.
Sinner lost to Bublik in June in Halle, Germany, in a warm-up
tournament before Wimbledon, but that was played on a grass court.
Trying to beat the defending U.S. Open champion on a hard court is
an entirely different story and almost impossible these days.
Sinner has won 25 straight Grand Slam matches on that surface,
including the last two Australian Open titles, along with his first
U.S. Open trophy last year.
He will face fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti, the No. 10 seed, on
Wednesday. The other quarterfinal that day will pit No. 8 Alex de
Minaur against No. 25 Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Alexander Bublik, of
Kazakhstan, during the fourth-round of the U.S. Open tennis
championships, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam
Hunger)
Bublik, the No. 23 seed from Kazakhstan, had been
one of the hottest players in tennis, with an ATP Tour-leading 11
straight victories and three titles, which is tied for the
second-best this year behind Alcaraz's six.
He had won all 55 service games coming into this match, yet Sinner
broke him eight times.
Bublik could only smile at times, including after the match, when he
told Sinner at the net that I'm not bad.
But he wasn't nearly good enough against Sinner, who had an 86-46
advantage in points won. Bublik helped by committing 13
double-faults.
Sinner noted that Bublik had a late finish Saturday night in his
five-set victory over No. 14 seed Tommy Paul, and tried to test his
energy level Monday in his first night match of this tournament.
I tried to move him around, trying to see how he moves, trying to
put it more on the physical side, Sinner said. Today I played some
good tennis at times. At times he gave me some free points.
Sinner improved to 35-4 this year. Alcaraz beat him in the French
Open final and also in Rome and Cincinnati where Sinner was ill
and had to stop playing in the first set.
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