A different Jannik Sinner emerged on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night and we were given a chilling warning of what was to come before a ball was struck.
There was great anticipation ahead of Sinner’s re-match against Alexander Bublik, with the Kazakhstan player the last to beat Sinner in a completed match when he got the better of him at the Halle grass court event in June.
Sinner was reminded of that defeat when he spoke to Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, prior to the last-16 clash in New York and he rounded off the discussion by saying: “Now it’s time for revenge.”
A comment like that would generally be given with a smile, but Sinner made the comment with all the menace of a James Bond villain and the mindset he had when he took to the court confirmed he was serious.
From first point to last, Sinner put a less than fully fit Bublik to the sword and he showed no mercy with his dismantling of the world No 17.
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The response from Bublik was laced with humour as he suggested Sinner was “AI-generated” as he said: “You’re so good, this is insane. I’m not bad.”
In response, Sinner suggested his opponent was at less than full pace after his long and draining match against Tommy Paul in the previous round.
“He had a very tough match the last match,” said Sinner. “He didn’t serve as well as he usually does. I’m very happy. The first time this year I can play the night match here and it makes so, so big difference.”
He also commented on Bublik’s less-than-committed performance as he appeared to give up long before the end of the match as he added: “Sometimes we have some days off, where certain things don’t work. Some players have some problems behind the scenes, you never know.
“At the end of the day we try to make the sport as interesting as possible. At times I felt today I was playing some great tennis.
“I managed to break him very early. It gave me then the confidence to serve a little bit better and play from the back of the court a bit better.
“It was a fast match but at the same time from my point of view it is good. People come here to see some great tennis matches, some great battles and it’s not always that is the case.
“I don’t know what he said or if he was in here, but I can just judge from my point of view and how I managed to play and it was a good performance from my side.”
Sinner prima del match contro Bublik ha scambiato qualche chiacchiera con Anna Wintour e Rami Malek #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Ost0reasAL
— SuperTennis TV (@SuperTennisTv) September 1, 2025
Bublik had not faced a single break in the 59 times he served at this US Open until this match, but Sinner took precisely two minutes to break him and he didn’t take his foot off the pedal for the rest of the match.
All this after tennis aficionados looked forward to this match with an expectation that Sinner may be vulnerable after his uncharacteristically lacklustre display against Denis Shapovalov in the previous round.
The Italian suggested he was “not a machine” when questions came about his dip in form after that match, but it was clear that he was a man on a mission against Bublik.
Any suggestions that his dominance was waning were banished in a blitz of brilliance that confirmed he is still the man to beat on a hard court, as he extended his Grand Slam winning run on the surface to 25 matches.
And while Sinner is generally saluted as being a champion who is polite and generous to his opponents, that comment offered up to Wintour highlighted the champion mindset he brings with him into battle.
We may be heading towards another Sinner showdown with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s US Open final and if that is to be the finale of this compelling tournament, the reigning champion will be ready for battle.
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