NEW YORK—The cloud of controversy hovering overhead hasn’t exactly slowed Jannik Sinner’s roll.
Streaming forward with the surprise serve-and-volley on match point, Sinner swept American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to streak into the US Open third round with his 50th match win of the season.
More: Jannik Sinner Tests Positive for Banned Steroid
On a day of upsets that saw both seventh-seeded Hubert Hurkacz and 16th-seeded Sebastian Korda lose second-round matches, Sinner scored his ninth straight major hard-court victory.
World No. 1 Sinner surged through eight straight games midway through the match in outclassing the talented Michelsen, who celebrated his 20th birthday last Sunday.
Working deep drives that sometimes sent Michelsen in chase mode corner-to-corner, Sinner doubled the American’s winner output—28 to 13—and converted eight of 16 break points in a 99-minute win.
“Very happy to be through, he’s a very tough opponent,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “We played each other in Cincinnati one week ago. I knew what to expect, he knew what to expect. And let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
It was Sinner’s sixth straight win—he had one walkover in Cincinnati—as he scored his ATP-best 30th hard-court win over the season.
Earlier this month, Sinner stopped Michelsen 6-4, 7-5 en route to his 15th career title at the Cincinnati Open. After Sinner captured his second Masters 1000 championship of the season, the ITIA announced the 23-year-old Italian twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March.
Though some players have been critical of the process that permitted Sinner to play while his appeal of a provisional suspension was being decided, Arthur Ashe Stadium fans have been largely supportive of the Australian Open champion.
“I always love New York,” Sinner said. “It’s a very special place, the first Grand Slam I played in the main draw so I have great memories…
“Every match is different, has its own story so I’m very happy. Let’s see what’s coming. I feel like I can improve a couple of things but you have to always be happy to be in the next round. [I am] just trying to get better as a player.”
Sinner said enduring the white-hot spotlight that comes with his failed doping test and subsequent clearance to continue playing has been a learning experience.
"It helps me to see who my friends are and who are not my friends. This yes, but you know, this is all part of a growing experience, no?" Sinner said. "I wish nobody has this experience to grow because this is a different way of experience, but you also realize that there is also a life outside of tennis, which are much more important than that what we do because our daily routine is to hit tennis balls and go in the gym.
"Then, you know, you see that some people, they are sick. There are different things what come in my mind. I said, okay, tennis is big for me because it showed me what I am as a person and how important the sport is, but in the other way there is a life outside of tennis, which is even more important. Trying to be healthy, surround yourself with good people. That for me, it is more important, no?
"Then on the tennis court obviously I try to do my best. I try to fight and let the spectators enjoy also the show."
The top-seeded Italian has won six straight sets since dropping his tournament-opening set to American Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
Next up for Sinner is a third-round meeting with Christopher O’Connell.
The 30-year-old Aussie backed up his opening-round upset of 29th-seeded Nicolas Jarry by taking down Italian Mattia Bellucci 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. O’Connell pumped 17 aces against two double faults and faced just three break points in a two hour, 48-minute win for his first trip to the US Open third round in four Flushing Meadows appearances.
It’s been an encouraging week for Australian men.
Australian Jordan Thompson toppled a hobbled Hurkacz 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-5 on Stadium 17.
The seventh-seeded Hurkacz, who retired from Wimbledon last month with a knee injury that also dampened his Olympic dreams, has failed to survive the US Open second round in seven career Flushing Meadows appearances.
The unseeded Thompson will face Italian Matteo Arnaldi for a spot in the round of 16. The 30th-seeded Arnaldi, like Thompson, has not dropped a set in two tournament wins.
Former US Open singles and doubles champion Lleyton Hewitt was in Thompson’s support box. Hewitt was also in the box when Thanasi Kokkinakis upset 11th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round.
Olympic mixed doubles gold-medal champion Tomas Machac played clean combinations upsetting 16th-seeded Sebastian Korda 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.
The 39th-ranked Machac reached the US Open third round for the first time. Korda continues his tough career run in New York.
The former Australian Open junior champion has yet to surpass the second round in five US Open appearances. Since Korda knocked off Daniil Medvedev en route to the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinals, he has posted a 6-7 Grand Slam match record.