Jannik Sinner storms past Tommy Paul, rounds out 2024 US Open quarterfinal line-up

NEW YORK—They call it Labor Day for a reason. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner got to work Monday evening to put away Tommy Paul, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 to complete the slate of 2024 US Open quarterfinalists and book an intriguing clash with 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev.

The top seed trailed Paul, seeded fourteenth, by a quick double break in the opening set only to reel off four straight games and reclaim the momentum, ultimately advancing into his second quarterfinal in Flushing Meadows after two hours 42 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Sinner made the last eight for the first time in 2022, narrowly losing to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in five thrilling sets under the Ashe Stadium lights. Two years later, the 23-year-old arrived to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center a vastly different player, having beaten Medvedev in five sets to capture his first major trophy at the Australian Open in January.

Ostensibly carrying much momentum to New York after winning the Cincinnati Open only three weeks ago, Sinner instead had to shake off the controversial news that he had been found to bear No Fault or Negligence from a heretofore unknown pair of positive anti-doping tests back in March. Sinner had successfully appealed the accompanying provisional suspensions but nonetheless faces criticism for the fact that he had come into contact with the banned substance clostebol vis à vis treatments from now-former physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi.

Sinner later revealed he had parted ways with Naldi and fitness coach Umberto Ferrara, who had reportedly given Naldi the antiseptic spray containing clostebol. Declaring himself “a simple tennis player,” Sinner sought to put the affair behind him the only way he could, by winning on the court.

That task proved relatively easy through the first week, dropping just one set in his first three matches and improving with each round, dropping a combined 12 games against Alex Michelson and Christopher O’Connell to book a fourth career meeting with Paul.

As the first seed Sinner would face at the Open, Paul proved to be a major step up in challenge and had put in the work to return to the second week for the second year in a row. Winning a pair of four-setters against Lorenzo Sonego and Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo, Paul has shown impressive consistency at the major tournaments, posting quarterfinal finishes at both Wimbledon and the Summer Olympic Games, where he went on to win bronze in men’s doubles with Taylor Fritz.

Having beaten Sinner once in 2022, Paul looked poised to score a second career victory over a reigning No. 1—his first coming last summer in Canada against Carlos Alcaraz—when he raced out to a 4-1, double-break lead.

A disastrous lapse in focus saw Sinner rebound in style and win four straight games of his own to put the match back on even footing. Though Paul pushed the set to a tiebreaker, Sinner never looked in danger throughout the ensuing Sudden Death and put himself a crucial set to the good.

The second set was much closer throughout as Sinner and Paul traded holds of serve to reach another tiebreaker. Paul brought an enthusiastic crowd to its feet when he edged ahead by a mini-break, but Sinner broke back and benefitted from a pair of return misses from Paul to claim the second set in just over two hours.

Sinner parlayed that advantage into a commanding 3-0 lead to kick off the third, and though the diminished crowd—which largely began an Irish goodbye after the second set—tried to rally Paul (or at least taunt Sinner) into a break back, Sinner appeared increasingly unstoppable as he moved within two games of the quarterfinals.

Rowdy hecklers in the upper decks only seemed to unsettle Paul, who fell behind 0-40 in the sixth game and gave up a second break shortly thereafter.

Serving for the match, Sinner saved two break points from 15-40 down—one with an ace—and converted his first match point as Paul erred long off a final forehand.

Standing between Sinner and a first US Open semifinal is former champion and former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, who lost their Australian Open epic but won their most recent meeting at Wimbledon less than two months ago. Medvedev has rolled through his last three matches, posting a 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Nuno Borges earlier in the day.

"I will try to think more about Wimbledon than Australian Open," Medvedev joked. "But against Jannik...I feel like in a way we know our game, what we will try to bring on the table.

"Hopefully we can have a great match. I know if I want to beat him, I need to be at my best, which I managed to do couple of times. It's going to be a great match."