#NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner recorded his first main draw victory at the US Open in his third attempt on Tuesday as he overcame wild card Max Purcell 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the second round in New York.
The 20-year-old, who fell in the first round in 2019 and 2020 at Flushing Meadows, won 76 per cent (44/58) of his first-serve points and hit with great depth to advance in two hours and 32 minutes. The 13th seed will next face countryman Marco Cecchinato or American wild card Zachary Svajda.
Sinner captured his second tour-level title of the season at the Citi Open in Washington earlier this month to become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009, before reaching the second round in Cincinnati.
The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who is in 10th place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, pushing to qualify with countryman Matteo Berrettini, was also victorious on hard at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne in February.
Fellow #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, moving past American wild card Emilio Nava 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round on his US Open debut.
Musetti who snapped a six-match losing streak with his win, committed just 18 unforced errors to advance in two hours and 31 minutes. The 19-year-old will next face big-serving American Reilly Opelka after the 22nd seed overcame Soonwoo Kwon 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4.
”I am really happy with the win and the way I played and the way I behaved on court,” Musetti said. “I have worked a lot on the mental side. I just focus on my tennis now and it is working. I am in the second round with positive feelings and good vibes. I am really excited to play against Reilly [Opelka] because he is a really good player.”
The Italian, currently No. 60 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was ranked outside the Top 250 this time last year. However, Musetti has risen quickly, enjoying impressive hard-court results this season with runs to the last four in Acapulco and the third round in Miami.
The Lyon semi-finalist, who edged past Nava in the Australian Open boys’ singles final in 2019, also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in June, falling to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic after leading the 34-year-old by two-sets-to-love.
Musetti is fifth in the ATP Race To Milan and will be targeting a strong end to the season as he tries to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, which will be held in Milan from 9-13 November.
The 19-year-old Nava was competing in his second tour-level event of the season, after advancing through qualifying to reach the third round in Miami in March.
Opelka defeated Musetti in straight sets in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting earlier this year in Rome. The American, who overcame World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto earlier this month, expects a tough test against the Italian.
"I'm going to expect a high-level match,” Opelka said. “He's a great athlete. He's got some really good intangibles, can create some unbelievable shots. He's a shotmaker, and he's really good. I think he'll definitely use our match in Rome, and it will help him feel more comfortable in this match.”
The 20-year-old, who fell in the first round in 2019 and 2020 at Flushing Meadows, won 76 per cent (44/58) of his first-serve points and hit with great depth to advance in two hours and 32 minutes. The 13th seed will next face countryman Marco Cecchinato or American wild card Zachary Svajda.
Sinner captured his second tour-level title of the season at the Citi Open in Washington earlier this month to become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009, before reaching the second round in Cincinnati.
The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, who is in 10th place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, pushing to qualify with countryman Matteo Berrettini, was also victorious on hard at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne in February.
Fellow #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti also advanced, moving past American wild card Emilio Nava 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second round on his US Open debut.
Musetti who snapped a six-match losing streak with his win, committed just 18 unforced errors to advance in two hours and 31 minutes. The 19-year-old will next face big-serving American Reilly Opelka after the 22nd seed overcame Soonwoo Kwon 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4.
”I am really happy with the win and the way I played and the way I behaved on court,” Musetti said. “I have worked a lot on the mental side. I just focus on my tennis now and it is working. I am in the second round with positive feelings and good vibes. I am really excited to play against Reilly [Opelka] because he is a really good player.”
The Italian, currently No. 60 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was ranked outside the Top 250 this time last year. However, Musetti has risen quickly, enjoying impressive hard-court results this season with runs to the last four in Acapulco and the third round in Miami.
The Lyon semi-finalist, who edged past Nava in the Australian Open boys’ singles final in 2019, also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in June, falling to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic after leading the 34-year-old by two-sets-to-love.
Musetti is fifth in the ATP Race To Milan and will be targeting a strong end to the season as he tries to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, which will be held in Milan from 9-13 November.
The 19-year-old Nava was competing in his second tour-level event of the season, after advancing through qualifying to reach the third round in Miami in March.
Opelka defeated Musetti in straight sets in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting earlier this year in Rome. The American, who overcame World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his first Masters 1000 final in Toronto earlier this month, expects a tough test against the Italian.
"I'm going to expect a high-level match,” Opelka said. “He's a great athlete. He's got some really good intangibles, can create some unbelievable shots. He's a shotmaker, and he's really good. I think he'll definitely use our match in Rome, and it will help him feel more comfortable in this match.”