Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev dodged the fate that befell Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz by cruising into the US Open’s fourth round.
The duo watched as defending champion Djokovic and Spain’s Alcaraz suffered unexpected losses at Flushing Meadows earlier in the week.
Top seed Sinner had no trouble against Christopher O’Connell, defeating the Australian 6-1 6-4 6-2 in under two hours to advance to the second week in New York.
Meanwhile, world number five Medvedev secured a confident 6-3 6-4 6-3 victory over Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
“Anything can happen in this sport. I try to focus on my side of the net and take it one day at a time,” Italy’s Sinner said when asked about Djokovic and Alcaraz’s early exits.
Russian Medvedev added: “I’ve said before that for me, the upsets don’t matter. The conditions here are tricky and the favourites have less room for error.”
The 23-year-old will face American hopeful Tommy Paul, who rallied from a set down to beat Canadian qualifier Gabriel Diallo 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-1 7-6 (7-3).
