Jannik Sinner and Denis Shapovalov are set to face off in round three of the 2025 US Open.
The Italian world number one has been dominant in New York, dropping just 11 games across his first two matches, beating Vit Kopriva and Alexei Popyrin.
He’ll meet Denis Shapovalov in the third round, who took down Marton Fucsovics and Valentin Royer earlier this week.
The pair have played once before on the ATP Tour at the 2021 Australian Open, where Shapovalov won in five sets.
Fans of Sinner will hope he can get his revenge at Flushing Meadows, perhaps with Shapovalov’s 2024 comments on the mind…
Denis Shapovalov said there were ‘different rules for different players’, angering Italian fans in 2024
12 months ago, news broke that Sinner had avoided a suspension despite testing positive for the banned substance Clostebol.
Expressing his views on the decision, Shapovalov took to X.
“Can’t imagine what every other player that got banned for contaminated substances is feeling right now,” he said.
“Different rules for different players,” added Shapovalov.
The Canadian’s comments didn’t go down too well with the Italian fans, who jumped to Sinner’s defence.
During a round-table interview on the UTS [Ultimate Tennis Showdown] YouTube channel, Shapovalov clarified his comments.
“That was the thing with me and Italian fans now, there were so many Italian fans after me,” he said.
“I made a comment about the [Jannik] Sinner case, but I didn’t comment about Sinner. To me, it had nothing to do with Sinner.
“It was the principle that a guy like [Nicolas] Jarry was banned for three years or whatever it was, and other guys are playing.
“It should be consistent and the same for all the players. It had literally nothing to do with Sinner.
“I’m not here to decide whether he should be banned or not, but so many Italian fans started losing it. It was insane.”
Sinner ended up receiving a three-month ban earlier this year, which saw him miss several Masters 1000 events.
- 2025 Indian Wells – Missed
- 2025 Miami Open – Missed
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters – Missed
- 2025 Madrid Open – Missed
Returning to action in Rome, Sinner quickly rediscovered his form, finishing as the runner-up at the Italian Open and French Open before winning his maiden Wimbledon title.
Now looking to win his third Grand Slam of the year in New York, Sinner must find a way past Shapovalov to advance.
Jannik Sinner and Denis Shapovalov’s US Open records
Winning the title in 2024, Sinner improved his record at the US Open to 17-5.
| Year | Performance | Opponent lost to | Score |
| 2024 | W | – | – |
| 2023 | 4R | Alexander Zverev | 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 |
| 2022 | QF | Carlos Alcaraz | 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7, 3-6 |
| 2021 | 4R | Alexander Zverev | 4-6, 4-6, 6-7 |
| 2020 | 1R | Karen Khachanov | 6-3, 7-6, 2-6, 0-6, 6-7 |
| 2019 | 1R | Stan Wawrinka | 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 3-6 |
The Italian fell to Alexander Zverev twice and Carlos Alcaraz once in his three previous defeats at Flushing Meadows.
Learning from defeats against some of the best players in men’s tennis, Sinner finally got his hands on the trophy last year.
Shapovalov, on the other hand, hasn’t had quite so much success at the US Open.
After making waves on his debut, reaching the fourth round, and qualifying for the last eight in 2020, Shapovalov has struggled to take the next step.
| Year | Performance | Opponent lost to | Score |
| 2024 | 1R | Botic van de Zandschulp | 4-6, 5-7, 4-6 |
| 2022 | 3R | Andrey Rublev | 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 |
| 2021 | 3R | Lloyd Harris | 4-6, 4-6, 4-6 |
| 2020 | QF | Pablo Carreno Busta | 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 6-0, 3-6 |
| 2019 | 3R | Gael Monfils | 7-6, 6-7, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2018 | 3R | Kevin Anderson | 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 |
| 2017 | 4R | Pablo Carreno Busta | 6-7, 6-7, 6-7 |
Shapovalov was a set away from the US Open semifinals in 2020, but couldn’t get over the line, losing a five-set thriller against Pablo Carreno Busta.
Hopeful of making another deep run five years on, Shapovalov will try to cause a big upset against the world number one.
Sinner and Shapovalov will battle it out for a place in the fourth round of the 2025 US Open on Saturday, August 30.
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