Jannik Sinner highlights one area where he is ‘a big step ahead’ of Carlos Alcaraz after US Open win
It didn’t take long for Jannik Sinner to confirm he had recovered from the illness that forced him to retire in his Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz last week, as he stormed into the second round of the US Open.
Sinner’s opponent Vit Kopriva may have gone on court wondering if he would get the world No 1 firing on all cylinders and he didn’t need to wait long to get that answer as Sinner opened up a 5-0 lead in double quick time.
The first two sets went by in a flash as Sinner took them 6-1, 6-1, with world No 89 Kopriva unable to deal with the pace of the ball coming at him from Sinner as he was constantly rushed and pushed onto the back foot.
This was a demolition from first to last, with Sinner taking the third set 6-2 and wrapping up his first round win in one hour and 38 minutes.
The muted atmosphere around Arthur Ashe Stadium court said much about the lack of jeopardy in this match, with Sinner so far ahead of his rival that it was close to humiliating for Kopriva, who looked like an amateur in comparison to the mighty Sinner.
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The intimidation factor Sinner now brings with him onto court is overwhelming for his rivals and even if they go into the match with a game plan to try and get the defending US Open champion off balance, it quickly becomes evident that his ball striking is too much to handle.
This is one area where he is a big step ahead of his great rival Carlos Alcaraz.
While the Spaniard has the ability to beat his early round opponents in Grand Slams with some comfort, he doesn’t execute with the kind of cold brutality Sinner displayed against Kopriva.
If this was a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it long before the end, as Sinner confirmed he will be the man to beat once again in New York by serving up a level few will be able to deal with.
“You can just see the gulf in class between the two players,” declared former British No 1 Tim Henman on Sky Sports.
“Kopriva’s effort is there, but he is constantly on the back foot with the pace of the ball coming at him.
“The challenge for the opposition in Slams is you have to play at that level for three sets to challenge someone like Sinner.
“We have seen Carlos Alcaraz do that, but there are not too many players out there who can get close to Sinner right now.
“He showed his full repertoire out there. It was comfortable and he is the favourite to win the US Open again. Spare a thought for Kopriva, but he was outclassed.”
Sinner made just six unforced errors in the first set and five in the second set and those numbers are all the more impressive when you consider how hard he strikes each ground shot.
He also takes the ball so early, with Mats Wilander telling Tennis365 at the French Open in June that Sinner’s secret may that early strike, which doesn’t allow his opponents to settle.
“I don’t even know how you would play against Jannik Sinner,” Wilander told Tennis365. “I’m thinking, what would Roger Federer do? He would slice and dice and he would keep the ball low, and he would roll up a high one, maybe. What would Rafa do? Not sure. He would try to wear him out, I suppose, but he’s just playing unbelievably well.
“His movement, he’s flying around the court. I mean, it’s Spider-Man, to me. It’s just unbelievable how athletic he is.
“It starts with the serve these days. He’s changed it over the years and it’s much better. He’s returning brilliantly. He takes the ball so early. I’ve never seen a player that is as aggressive as him from the baseline.
“Players like John McEnroe or Stefan Edberg were more aggressive coming to the net, but in terms of aggressive baseliner, Jannik Sinner is definitely the most aggressive I’ve ever seen.
“For me, the big thing Jannik does so well is move to the ball and take it early. Other players wait for the ball to come to them, but both Sinner and (Carlos) Alcaraz go to the ball and that’s what give them an edge. Their opponents are always rushed and on the back foot and that’s especially the case with Jannik.”
The level of consistency Sinner has found is remarkable when it is combined with power hitting and on the evidence of his opening match at the US Open, most of his matches up to a potential quarter-final against Britain’s Jack Draper or his fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti will be played before bemused and somewhat muted crowds in New York.
It’s hard to get excited about Jannik Sinner when he is winning matches with this much ease and even when he won the final point of the match against Kopriva, there were barely any cheers from fans who had long since realised the match they were watching could only have one outcome.
Some may describe Sinner’s style of tennis as boring, but it is brilliantly effective and that will allow him to reserve his energy for the bigger challenges that will lie ahead in week two of the US Open.
