Reigning champion Jannik Sinner powered into the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a dominant straight-sets victory over fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The world number one outclassed the 10th seed 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in what was the first all-Italian men’s quarter-final in Grand Slam history.
“We have to take the friendship away for the match and when we shake hands everything is fine again,” said Sinner, who extended his perfect record against Italian opponents to 16-0. “It was a great performance, very solid. I started the match very well.”
The 24-year-old will next face Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-final. While Auger-Aliassime has a slight edge in their head-to-head record (2-1), Sinner thrashed him last month in Cincinnati, dropping just two games.
Sinner’s victory also tied him with Nicola Pietrangeli for the most Grand Slam wins by an Italian man, registering his 86th career victory at the majors. He is aiming to become the first man to defend the US Open crown since Roger Federer clinched the last of his five consecutive titles in 2008.
This season, Sinner has already captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles but fell just short at the French Open, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set final.
On Wednesday, he came out firing, storming through the first five games against Musetti before sealing the opening set in just 27 minutes. The second set was tighter, but Musetti faltered with a costly double fault at 4-4, giving Sinner the edge to close it out.
Despite creating multiple break opportunities in the third set, Musetti could not capitalize, while Sinner remained composed and decisive. He broke serve again to finish off a commanding performance, his 26th consecutive victory at Grand Slam matches played on hard courts.
What You Should Know
Jannik Sinner, currently world number one, is on a historic run at the majors.
With wins at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, he is pushing to defend his US Open crown and become the first man since Federer in 2008 to achieve that feat.
His victory over Musetti not only cemented his dominance among Italian players but also highlighted his growing legacy in men’s tennis.
