Canada’s Denis Shapovalov faced a tough exit at the U.S. Open, succumbing to Italy’s top-ranked Jannik Sinner with scores of 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a gripping third-round battle on Saturday.
The Richmond Hill, Ontario sensation raced ahead to a promising 5-2 lead, only for Sinner to rally back, leveling the set at 5-5 before Shapovalov secured the first set.
In the subsequent set, Shapovalov held a narrow 3-2 advantage, but Sinner surged with four victories in the next five games, evening the match at one set each.
Once again, Shapovalov started strong in the third, jumping to a 3-0 lead, yet Sinner surged ahead, capturing six consecutive games and shifting the match’s momentum.
As the final set unfolded, Sinner seized early control, racing to a 4-1 lead and ultimately closing out the match decisively.
Shapovalov managed 15 aces alongside nine double faults and converted three out of six break points. However, he struggled with a staggering 47 unforced errors compared to Sinner’s 36.
On the other side, Sinner produced just two aces and five double faults while successfully breaking serve on six of his 13 opportunities.
In women’s doubles, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, alongside tennis icon Venus Williams, advanced to the third round with a commanding 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory against Japan’s Eri Hozumi and Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri.
The dynamic pair capitalized on four of their seven break points, won an impressive 79 percent of their first-serve points, and delivered 29 winning shots versus their opponents’ 19.
Next up for Fernandez and Williams is the winner of the match between Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal versus Shuai Zhang and Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Later that day, Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime was set to take on the formidable third seed, Alexander Zverev, in another thrilling third-round encounter.
