Jannik Sinner’s astonishing run at the 2025 US Open reached new heights on Monday night as the world number one dismantled Alexander Bublik in a clinical, near-perfect display that left both fans and his opponent in awe. After the 81-minute demolition job, Bublik paid the ultimate backhanded compliment to his conqueror.
“You’re so good, this is insane,” Bublik said with a smile as the two players embraced at the net. “You’re like an AI-generated player.”
The comment, delivered half-jokingly but with clear admiration, captured the mood inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Sinner produced a ruthless 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 win to reach the US Open quarter-finals.
From the first game, Sinner was relentless. He broke Bublik’s serve immediately and never looked back, applying constant pressure with his laser-sharp baseline play and returning with machine-like consistency. Bublik, one of the tour’s most unpredictable and unorthodox players, never found rhythm and appeared overwhelmed by the precision and pace of the top seed.
Sinner’s dominance was total. He broke Bublik eight times and won nearly 60 percent of points on the Kazakh’s serve, ending a remarkable 55-game serving streak Bublik had carried through his first three matches in New York.
“I felt like today I was playing some great tennis,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “I managed to break him very early, which gave me confidence to serve a little bit better and play from the back of the court a bit better.”
For Bublik, ranked 23rd in the world and known for his flair, variety, and occasional antics, it was a night where very little worked. He committed 13 double faults, threw in two underarm serves, and often gestured in frustration. Still, he showed flashes of personality, raising his arms in mock triumph after holding serve midway through the third set to a sympathetic roar from the crowd.
Sinner, however, was careful not to criticise Bublik’s effort or style.
“Sometimes we have days off where certain things don’t work,” he said. “Some players, they have some problems behind the scenes—you never know. Obviously, people come here to see some great tennis matches, some great battles, and not always that’s the case.”
With the victory, Sinner advances to a high-stakes all-Italian quarter-final against Lorenzo Musetti, seeded 10th. It’s the latest step in what has already been a remarkable season for the 24-year-old, who is bidding to win his third Grand Slam title of 2025 after triumphs at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. His only stumble came at Roland-Garros, where he lost a five-set classic to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Now, Sinner is not just chasing his second US Open crown, but also aiming to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2008 to defend the title successfully.
Bublik, meanwhile, leaves New York having won over the crowd with both his serving streak and his self-deprecating humour—even if, on the night, he was simply outclassed by a player operating on an entirely different level.
