Jannik Sinner surged to a late comeback victory over Denis Shapovalov, completing a 5-7 6-4 6-3 6-3 win at the US Open.
The Italian kept his US Open title defence as he fended off an impressive display from his Canadian opponent.
There will be plenty for Sinner to work on as he trailed by a break in the third set before completing the comeback over Shapovalov.
Next up for the defending champion is either Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul.
It was a rough start for Sinner who was unconvincing on his second serve and Shapovalov capitalised to break for an early 3-1 lead.
The Canadian entered this match having already beaten Sinner on a hard court at a Grand Slam and clearly used that as confidence, taking the match to the Italian.
A clear game plan was executed to near perfection in the opening stages as Shapovalov was left untroubled on serve.
That was until the ninth game of the first set where Sinner upped his game to level the set at 5-5.
Fuelled by an incorrect foot fault call, Shapovalov continued to put pressure on Sinner and after saving break point the Canadian broke for the opening set.
The world number one knew he was in a real battle and remain resilient and consistent on serve, not giving Shapovalov any hope of breaking.
When it mattered most, Sinner raised his level as he broke in the seventh game before comfortably closing out the second set.
More concerns were raised in the Sinner camp after he went an early break down and Shapovalov went on to consolidate for a 3-0 lead.
However, that’s where the concerns ended as Sinner claimed six games in a row and broke early in the fourth set.
A final surge from Shapovalov was fended off by Sinner as the Italian saved break point to close out the four set win in over three hours.
After the match Sinner admitted it was a tough match and admitted he needs to raise his game physically and mentally in order to win the title in the second week, “It was a very tough match today,” Sinner was quoted by the BBC Sport website as saying.
“I have known Denis for a long time, last time we played was years ago and we’ve both improved so much since then. I knew I had to play to a good level today. He started well and I tried to stay there mentally. As always, thanks to the crowd for your support. I’m very happy.
“Week two is different, there’s less people behind the scenes and that’s a sign. I’m still here and just looking forward to the next match. It’s getting tougher and tougher, physically and mentally. It’s a very special place for me here, it was the first place I played in a main draw in a Grand Slam and I won here last year, so it’s a special place for me.”
Sinner will hope to raise his level on Monday against either Alexander Bublik or Tommy Paul.
