No. 1 Jannik Sinner kicked off his US Open title defense by surrendering just four games in a 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Vit Kopriva on Tuesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sinner didn’t lose any of his 11 service games and won 83% of his first-serve points, saving two break points against Kopriva, a 28-year-old Czech who was making his US Open main draw debut.
Sinner appeared to be bothered at times by a taped blister on his right ring finger, but the injury seemingly did not affect his play, as his four dropped games tied his second fewest in a major match (he conceded only three games in his third-round match against Jiri Lehecka at the French Open).
Since the start of 2024, Sinner has compiled a 66-4 record on hardcourts, the most wins of any player on the men’s tour in that span. Three of those losses have come against No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz (2024 Indian Wells, 2024 Beijing and last week’s Cincinnati Open final, which Sinner retired from due to illness).
Sinner and Alcaraz, who have combined to win the past seven men’s major championships, are on opposite sides of the draw and could meet in the final for a third straight Grand Slam.
Sinner extended his win streak at hard-court Slams to 22 matches, the sixth-longest streak by any man all-time. The 1978 US Open marked the first hard-court major.
Joining Sinner in advancing to the second round Tuesday was Italian countryman Lorenzo Musetti; the No. 10 seed needed four sets but ultimately got past France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
In other men’s singles first-round results, No. 27 Denis Shapovalov defeated Marton Fucsovics in straight sets, while No. 19 Francisco Cerundolo had to rally from a two-set deficit before prevailing against Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
