CNN
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Jannik Sinner was strong at the right time and defeated American Tommy Paul to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1 on Monday evening at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Italian world No. 1, who came back from two breaks down in the first set, extends his winning streak to eight and equals his best result at the US Open after reaching the quarter-finals in 2022.

The 23-year-old Sinner became the eighth male singles player since 2000 to reach at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year.

“I felt like neither of us were playing our best tennis,” Sinner said in his on-court interview after his win over No. 14 Paul.

“It was a bit windy, a bit windy, so we tried to find our rhythm a bit. I found it a bit at the end of the match, but I can be very proud today. It was a tough opponent, so I’m very happy to be in the next round.”

Sinner’s victory sets up a thrilling quarter-final in New York with 2021 US Open winner, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Portuguese Nuno Borges 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 earlier in the day.

The upcoming match on Wednesday feels like a final, with Sinner and Medvedev the only two remaining major champions in the men’s singles.

“It’s going to be a tough match. It’s going to be a lot of rallies, so hopefully I’m physically ready,” Sinner said on court about taking on the Russian. “It’s going to be a physical match, but also a mental match.”

Medvedev leads Sinner 7-5 in their head-to-head matches, but Sinner has won five of the last six, including a comeback from two sets to a draw to win his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

Medvedev won their last meeting, in July at Wimbledon, in five sets in the quarterfinals.

“I will try to think more about Wimbledon than the Australian Open,” said a smiling Medvedev, speaking to reporters before Sinner’s evening match with Paul.

“But against Jannik we had some tough games, except for a couple. … I feel like we know our game in a way, what we try to bring to the table, and then it always comes down to, you know, this moment is deuce, break point, maybe we try to surprise him or not, what he will do, what I will do.

“Hopefully, yeah, if he beats Tommy, then hopefully we can have a great match. I know if I want to beat him I have to be at my best, which I’ve done a few times. It’s going to be a great match.”

Sinner has previously appeared in an epic quarterfinal at the US Open – and it was the last match finish in the tournament’s history. In 2022, the Italian had a match point in the fourth set against Carlos Alcaraz. But after a marathon five-hour, 15-minute match that ended at 2:50 a.m. ET, it was Alcaraz who went on to win 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3. The Spaniard won his first Grand Slam title at the age of 19.

Paul pushed Sinner early on Monday evening.

The 27-year-old American thrilled the New York crowd when he managed to beat Sinner after 13 minutes, winning 11 points in a row to take a 4-1 lead in the first set.

But the 2024 Australian Open champion bounced back from the two defeats to quickly win 12 of the next 14 points and the following four games in a row before pulling away from Paul in the first-set tiebreaker.

The second set was meanwhile more exciting, with Paul saving the only break point. But Sinner again delivered in the tiebreaker.

The world No. 1 grabbed the early break in the second game of the third set with a devastating crosscourt forehand, but Paul couldn’t reach the ball as Sinner hit the ball well over the baseline.

“I don’t think he played very well at the beginning of the match, and once I got up 4-1, I don’t think I started playing very well,” Paul told reporters. “I had chances there in the first set, of course, and then chances in the second, but he stepped up on the big points and I didn’t. I felt like that was kind of the story of the match.”

In other men’s singles action Monday, Britain’s Jack Draper continued his tear through the draw with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 win over Czech Tomáš Macháč to reach his first major quarter-final. He has yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Meanwhile, No. 10 Alex de Minaur, in his first tournament since Wimbledon, defeated Jordan Thompson in a battle of two Australians 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Sinner’s run comes against the backdrop of his recent doping case, which was made public on August 20 – news that shocked the tennis world. Sinner, who avoided a suspension after testing positive twice for traces of a banned substance, has said he has done nothing wrong.

One prominent player Sinner has recently supported is Rafael Nadal. In an interview with the Spanish television show “El Hormiguero” he said: “I have a virtue or a flaw, and that is that I usually end up believing in the good faith of people.

“I know Sinner. I don’t believe Sinner was trying to baptize anyway. And another thing, ultimately justice is justice, and I don’t think we should only value justice when things are resolved in a way that we agree with.

“Ultimately, justice is justice, and I believe in justice, and I believe in the agencies that have to make the decisions and that they actually make those decisions based on what they believe is right.

“I trust that he was not sanctioned, because those who judged this case found very clearly that there was nothing to sanction. In this case, they saw very clearly that what was presented was not sanctionable.

“I don’t think they wouldn’t sanction him because it’s Sinner, or that they would because it’s someone else. I believe that and I’m convinced of that. Of course, the opinions of others are also perfectly respectable, but, well, this is my opinion.”