By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday August 31, 2024

 

Jannik Sinner didn't let the upset bug get him as he waltzed past Christopher O'Connell to reach the round of 16 on Day 6.

Photo Source: Getty

New York—Seeds are falling at the 2024 US Open. Meanwhile, top seed Jannik Sinner is rising.

The Italian calmly disptatched Australia’s Christopher O’Connell on Saturday, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, to book his spot in the fourth round on a weekend that has seen his fellow title contenders bow out.



Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic bowed out on successive nights in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Sinner, who is bidding for his second major title this week in Queens, played his best tennis of the first week.

"Everything can happen in this sport, so I try to stay on my side of the net and I'm trying to take it day by day," Sinner said in his on-court interview after notching his 51st win of the season. "There have already been a couple of upsets, so let's see what's coming.

"But I'm very happy to still be here and hopefully I can play as many matches as possible. But as I said, we go day by day and then we'll see how it goes."



Sinner needed just one hour and 51 minutes to dispatch the World No.87. He clocked 46 winners and never faced a break point.

The 23-year-old lost his first set of the tournament against American Mackenzie McDonald, but has since captured his last nine sets.



Dealing with the fallout from the revelation that he had failed two doping tests and narrowly avoided suspension last week, Sinner admitted that the controversy has taken a toll on him. But he has managed well thus far, and is gaining distance with each passing day.

On Saturday he looked fit and focused and ready to take his place as the favorite to win a maiden US Open title in New York next weekend.

Bring on week two…