WHAT HAPPENED: Jannik Sinner, the surging Italian who has recently eclipsed Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP rankings, had never won a match in Arthur Ashe Stadium prior to Tuesday. Mackenzie McDonald, his first-round opponent at the 2024 US Open, wanted to keep it that way.
The Southern California native came out firing as he angled for his second Top 5 win at a major, breaking the Italian in four of his first five service games, but ultimately the sting of Sinner’s heavy artillery proved too much for him to handle.
The world No. 140’s upset bid fell short as top-seeded Sinner put a flat opening set behind him and rallied for a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory to book his spot in the second round at Flushing Meadows, where 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen will be waiting.
"I started not in the best way, but for sure the first matches in every tournament, they’re not easy, you have to accept it,” Sinner said. “He played really well in the beginning and I tried to stay there mentally and tried to get into rhythm which I’ve done at some point in the second set, and I just tried to keep going.
“For sure I have room to improve.”
McDonald, a former No. 37 who won the NCAA men’s singles champion in 2016, made Sinner work for it. The 29-year-old stole away with the opening set and broke for an early lead in set two.
Now firmly against the ropes, Sinner snapped into action and tilted the court in his favor, racing through 11 of the next 13 games to take a two sets to one lead. The third set was vintage Sinner, the Italian not committing a single unforced error as he dropped a mere seven points in the 24-minute stanza.
The fourth? Not much different. Sinner finished the match at a dead sprint—he won 18 of the final 22 games to improve his US Open record to 11-5.
“It’s the first time that I won here on this court after some attempts, so I’m very happy,” Sinner said on court in his post-match interview. “It means a lot to me, the support on this court is always amazing, now let’s see what coming in the next round.”
WHAT IT MEANS: Sinner finally notches a win on the world’s biggest showcourt and erases a few demons in the process. Though it was something of an inevitability, the victory may help him forget some of the heartbreak he has suffered in Ashe over the last few years.
In 2022, Sinner dropped a 5-hour-and-15-minute quarterfinal thriller against Alcaraz, squandering a match point as Alcaraz went on to lift his maiden major trophy. Last year, he wilted at the conclusion of his four-hour-and 41-minute Round of 16 marathon with Alexander Zverev, making it five career appearances without getting beyond the quarterfinals at the Open.
This year, Sinner hopes to turn over a new leaf in New York City.
Now a Grand Slam champion and the ATP’s top-ranked player, Sinner comes in with different expectations. The 23-year-old has taken the first step on his journey to the business end of the tournament, and hopefully gained a bit of comfort with the conditions and pace of play inside the legendary showcourt.
MATCH POINT: Sinner, who won the Cincinnati Open title on August 19, stretches his current winning streak to five. The Italian also earns his tour-leading 29th hard court win of 2024. He leads the ATP in hard court wins (29-2) and titles (4) this season.
