Jannik Sinner is now 18-0 in third-round matches at Grand Slams after latest win at US Open

Jannik Sinner is almost unbeatable in a lot of ways, but there's one specific way where he actually has been unbeatable.

With a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win over Denis Shapovalov in the third round of the US Open on Saturday, the world No. 1 is still perfect in his career in third-round matches at Grand Slam tournaments, improving to 18-0 in that stat with his latest victory in Flushing Meadows.

SINNER IN THIRD-ROUND MATCHES AT GRAND SLAMS: 18-0

• d. Coria in '20 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5
• d. Ymer in '21 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-1, 7-5, 6-3
• d. Monfils in '21 US Open 3rd Rd, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
• d. Daniel in '22 Australian Open 3rd Rd, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
• d. McDonald in '22 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3
• d. Isner in '22 Wimbledon 3rd Rd, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3
• d. Nakashima in '22 US Open 3rd Rd, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
• d. Fucsovics in '23 Australian Open 3rd Rd, 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0
• d. Halys in '23 Wimbledon 3rd Rd, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
• d. Wawrinka in '23 US Open 3rd Rd, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
• d. Baez in '24 Australian Open 3rd Rd, 6-0, 6-1, 6-3
• d. Kotov in '24 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
• d. Kecmanovic in '24 Wimbledon 3rd Rd, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
• d. O'Connell in '24 US Open 3rd Rd, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2
• d. Giron in '25 Australian Open 3rd Rd, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
• d. Lehecka in '25 Roland Garros 3rd Rd, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
• d. Martinez in '25 Wimbledon 3rd Rd, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1
• d. Shapovalov in '25 US Open 3rd Rd, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3

Shapovalov had beaten Sinner in the pair's only previous meeting, a five-set victory in the first round of the 2021 Australian Open, and the Canadian lefty came out swinging this time too, jumping out to an early 5-2 lead, and then, after the Italian caught up to 5-all, holding and then breaking one more time to capture the first set.

Sinner struck back, breaking at love in the seventh game of the second set en route to evening the match up at a set apiece, but he wasn't out of trouble yet, as Shapovalov broke him early in the third for a 3-0 lead.

That's when the world No. 1 shifted gears, though, winning the next nine games in a row to run away with the third set and lead 3-0 in the fourth, and the two held from there until it was all over.

Sinner was asked afterwards about his tougher-than-usual scoreline.

"Well, it's normal, you know," he said. "You cannot always go with the scoreline easy. Every match is so difficult. Every challenge is so difficult. Then there are players that have more qualities or potential, you know, and he's one of them. I mean, when he serves very well and he has very clean groundstrokes, physically very strong, he has everything to hurt players. So I knew that. I also knew that before the match.

"I mean, I was in a very difficult moment today. The scoreline was a bit against me today, but I just tried to stay there mentally. Obviously very happy to manage to win today, because it was a very important win."

Up next for the No. 1-seeded Sinner in the fourth round will be either No. 14 seed Tommy Paul or No. 23 seed Alexander Bublik, who played the late match in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday night.

He's actually lost to both potential opponents before, going 4-1 against Paul and 4-2 against Bublik. But all of his losses to them came on grass—he's 2-0 against both the American and the Kazakh on hard courts.