Jannik Sinner accused of being 'AI' after blowout win at U.S Open

"He's like an AI-generated player," Bublik said of Sinner before the match. "But we all try to find a way to get to him, get closer to him. I was lucky once, so let's see how it goes today."

Bublik did get "lucky" against Sinner at an ATP 500 event in Halle earlier this year, where he stunned the Italian in the fourth round. That match was one of Sinner's four losses this year — the other three all came against Carlos Alcaraz at Cincinnati (medical retirement), the French Open and Rome. As one of the only two players to beat Sinner, Bublik had good reason to feel optimistic entering Monday's match, until he was reminded of the invincibility of the reigning U.S. Open champion.

Others, like Ben Shelton, have also made alarming claims that Sinner is nearly unplayable due to his consistent shot-making and ball speed.

With Monday's win, Sinner extended his winning streak at hard-court majors to 25, dating back to his 2024 Australian Open win. If he can claim the U.S. Open crown, he'll join Roger Federer as the only player in the Open Era to capture four consecutive hard-court Grand Slam titles.  

Sinner is also trying to become the first player since Federer in 2008 to win back-to-back U.S. Open titles. He will face Lorenzo Musetti in Wednesday's quarterfinal, before a potential semifinal clash against Novak Djokovic and a finals showdown against Alcaraz. 

In recent years, only Djokovic came close to repeating, losing the 2012 and 2016 finals to Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, respectively, after winning in 2011 and 2015. Federer won five consecutive U.S. Open titles between 2004 and 2008, but never hoisted the trophy again.