Jannik Sinner Advances to US Open Semifinals with Win Over Musetti

New York, Sep 4 (AP) - Jannik Sinner returned to the U.S. Open semifinals with a commanding straight-sets victory over No. 10 seed Lorenzo Musetti, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, on Wednesday night. This marked the first all-Italian encounter in a men's major quarterfinal. The No. 1 seed Sinner is maintaining an impressive title defense, and on Friday, he will face No. 25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who overcame No. 8 Alex de Minaur in a thrilling match, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (4).

Sinner has now reached his fifth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, and a victory on Friday would see him reach the finals of all four majors this year. His current streak stands at 26 consecutive wins in majors on hard courts. This remarkable run includes his previous two triumphs at the Australian Open along with his victory in New York last year.

"It was a great performance. Very solid, especially starting very, very well," Sinner reflected after his 2-hour long match. The first set, taking a mere 27 minutes, set the tone for the match. Sinner successfully defended all seven break points he faced and has conceded just 38 games across his five matches, the second-fewest by a man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since 2020.

Impressively, Sinner has won 31 consecutive service games and an astounding 42 of 46 first-serve points, achieving a 91% success rate. Musetti, aiming for his inaugural U.S. Open semifinal after making significant progress at the French Open this year and Wimbledon in 2024, endured a challenging start. He fell behind 5-0, managing only nine points to Sinner's 25 in the first set.

Despite seeing more opportunities on Sinner's serve as the match progressed, Musetti couldn't capitalize with a crucial break that might have changed the dynamics. "We have to take the friendship away for the match, and obviously, when we shake hands, everything's fine," Sinner said. (AP) DDV

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