Defending champion Jannik Sinner mounted a remarkable recovery to defeat Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open third round on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The world No1 lost the first set of the tournament to the 27th-seeded Canadian before staging an impressive fightback over three hours and 12 minutes.
The Italian's victory extends his remarkable winning run at hard-court majors to 24 consecutive matches.
Sinner advances to face either 14th seed Tommy Paul or 23rd seed Alexander Bublik in the fourth round as he continues his title defence at Flushing Meadows.
Jannik Sinner mounted a remarkable recovery to defeat Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open third round
|REUTERS
A visibly relieved Sinner acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter in his post-match interview.
"Very tough match today. The last time we played was some years ago, we've both improved so much, I knew I'd have to play at a very high level. I tried to stay there mentally," the Italian said.
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After losing the first set, Jannik Sinner's quality and dominance was evident
|REUTERS
Looking ahead to the tournament's second week, Sinner expressed satisfaction with his progress.
"Week two is completely different. You'll see less people behind the scenes. It's a great sign that I'm still here," he noted.
"The first time I played the main draw of a Slam was here. And I won last year. It's an amazing place to be."
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The match's pivotal moment arrived with Shapovalov leading 3-0 in the third set and threatening to establish a double break.
The Canadian squandered a crucial opportunity to extend his advantage to 4-0, allowing Sinner to claw his way back into contention.
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Denis Shapovalov made life difficult for the Italian in the opening stages of the game
|REUTERS
From that turning point, the Italian's dominance was evident - he claimed nine consecutive games and dropped merely three games for the remainder of the encounter.
Shapovalov's challenge crumbled under pressure, with the 29th-ranked player committing nine double faults throughout the match, including three in a single game that handed Sinner a decisive break at 4-3 in the third set.
World No1 Jannik Sinner will face either 14th seed Tommy Paul or 23rd seed Alexander Bublik in the fourth round
|REUTERS
The victory marked a significant milestone for Sinner, who at 24-years-old became the fourth-youngest player to achieve 20 victories at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Only Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic accomplished this feat at a younger age.
The Italian also became the youngest player to reach the US Open's round of 16 in five consecutive years since Lleyton Hewitt achieved the milestone aged 23 years and 187 days in 2004.
Sinner has now won 20 of his last 21 sets at hard-court Grand Slams, underlining his dominance on the surface.