After a heartbreaking end to his Cincinnati Open campaign, Jannik Sinner will look to bounce back at the fourth and final major of the year.
Sinner was forced to retire during his championship clash with Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Masters 1000 event, later citing a virus as the reason for his withdrawal.
He has since pulled out of the revamped US Open mixed doubles competition, but will be ready in time for his title defence in singles.
In New York last year, Sinner clinched a maiden US Open title after defeating Taylor Fritz in the final, marking his second of now-four Grand Slam crowns.
While the Italian remains the favourite to win the tournament again this year, his chances of going back-to-back may have just taken a slight hit.
Jannik Sinner’s fourth-round headache at the US Open
The 2025 US Open men’s singles draw has officially been announced, and it has served up some interesting collision courses.
Novak Djokovic can avoid the top two seeded players until the semifinals, and will likely face Fritz in the quarterfinals on his journey to Grand Slam number 25.
Second seed Alcaraz has been dealt a tough draw, with the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud awaiting him in his quarter.
For Sinner, his tournament will kick off with some difficult matchups, including a potential second bout against Alexei Popyrin, and a possible face-off in round three with Denis Shapovalov.
In the fourth round, however, the world number one could run into the only man not named Alcaraz to beat him this season; Alexander Bublik.
En route to the second grass title of his career at the Halle Open, Bublik defeated Sinner in three sets, just weeks before his opponent would go on to win Wimbledon.
The Kazakh has since added two more tour-level crowns to his name and is on an eight-match winning streak heading into the US Open, having won 14 of his last 16 matches.
Should Bublik meet Sinner in round four, a potential upset for the defending champion could be on the cards.
Alexander Bublik’s route to a meeting with Jannik Sinner at the US Open
Though he is capable of delivering a shocking result against the world’s best player, the 28-year-old will have to deal with his opening three matches first.
His first-round opponent is no picnic, with Bublik pitted against 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, who is still competing at the top level aged 36.
In the second round, he will likely come up against Sinner’s compatriot, Lorenzo Sonego, who he has never beaten on the ATP Tour despite four attempts.
Should he advance past Cilic and Sonego, Bublik’s next challenge could come in the form of 14th seed Tommy Paul.
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