NEW YORK — Jannik Sinner surged into the third round of the US Open on Thursday, beating Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 in 1 hour, 39 minutes.
The No. 1-ranked Sinner dropped the first set in his opening match in New York but didn’t encounter much trouble facing his second straight American on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Italian earned his 50th victory of the season, including his ATP Tour-leading 30th on hard courts.
His previous one was a little shaky after a slow start against Mackie McDonald, so Sinner got in a practice session after that match and was happy with the results Thursday.
“Trying to keep going, trying to understand what works here best on these courts,” he said. “Let’s see what I can do in the next round.”
That will be against Christopher O’Connell of Australia on Saturday.
Sinner beat Michelsen for the second time this month, having also won a second-round match in Cincinnati shortly before it was revealed that he tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March.
“Very happy to be through against a very tough opponent,” Sinner said. “We played each other in Cincinnati … so I knew a little bit what to expect. I think also he knew a little bit what to expect.”
No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev breezed past Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (5). The 2021 US Open champion will face 31st seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the third round.
Medvedev, helped by his opponent’s 45 unforced errors and poorly-timed drop shots, sealed victory with a leaping backhand on match point and afterwards appeared annoyed with the muted reaction from fans at Flushing Meadows.
“The match today, I felt like I was at an Italian restaurant … it was so noisy,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview at Louis Armstrong Stadium. “Unless Roger [Federer] or the home favorite is playing, whoever is losing gets a little more support. [Marozsan] started playing really well in the third set, so the crowd went behind him.
“So every time I would win some important point, I was like, ‘Cme on, give me a little bit.’ It was really fun.”
In other men’s singles results from Thursday, No. 7 seed Hubert Hurkacz was eliminated in straight sets by Australia’s Jordan Thompson, the sixth straight year Hurkacz has lost in the second round at Flushing Meadows.
Thompson faces Italian 30th seed Matteo Arnaldi in the third round.
No. 16 Sebastian Korda, who struggled throughout with a right elbow injury, was knocked out by mixed doubles Olympic gold…
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