Watch: Spectator tries to open Jannik Sinner's bag after triumph over Alexander Bublik at US Open

Italy’s Jannik Sinner had to deal with an awkward situation after winning the US Open fourth-round match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. The 24-year-old, who is defending his title in the fourth and the final Grand Slam of the year, in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

The match lasted just 81 minutes, and it became the shortest completed match in the second week of a Grand Slam since 2019. After securing his win, Sinner had to deal with an awkward situation when he came close to a spectator. Sinner was taking a picture with a fan when another fan close by tried to open his bag, which the nearby security guard stopped.

It is not the first such incident that has taken place in the competition. Earlier, during the second round match between Russia’s Karen Khachanov and Kamil Majchrzak, a millionaire ended up losing his cap. That incident involving Sinner was caught on camera as well. That, however, would not have impacted Sinner, who would be extremely pleased with his overall performance.

Talking right after the match during the on-court interview, Sinner expressed his happiness after overcoming Bublik, who defeated him earlier this year during a Grass-court tournament. "We had some tough battles this year, but we know each other's game really well," said Sinner. "He had a tough match [in the third round], five sets, finishing late and he didn't serve as well as he usually does. Overall I'm very happy."

It was a fast match, says Sinner

While talking to the press after the match, Sinner spoke about what made him so successful on the court, which, according to him, is the desire to give his all on every single point. "I just try, from my side or from my point of view, to make the best of what I can,” said Sinner. “On that day, sometimes we have days 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 like today I was playing some great tennis. I managed to break him very early, which then gave me the confidence to serve a little 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’s good."

Sinner stated that Bublik’s performance on the day was probably a reflection that he was not able to properly recover after beating America’s Tommy Paul in a hard-fought contest two days ago where the match ended late. Sinner was of the opinion that every athlete goes through such phase. “As I said, we don’t have to forget that he [Bublik] had a five-set match and it finished very late,” said Sinner. “Against Tommy, he’s a different player. It can happen. This is the sport. Some days they are good, and some days they are not good…It’s very unpredictable, this sport."

Sinner’s next round opponent will be his fellow countryman, Lorenzo Musetti. The 23-year-old secured his spot in the last eight after beating Spain’s Jaume Munar in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-0, 6-1. It will be the third meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous two meetings, Sinner had a clear advantage as he won on both occasions. Their most recent meeting came in the quarterfinal of the Monte-Carlo Masters, where Sinner emerged victorious in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Talking about that match, Sinner stated that the pressure will be on him as he is the favourite.

“Pressure is there,” said Sinner. “Pressure has always been there. Derbies are a bit different. He’s [Musetti] an amazing player, very, very talented. He is playing some great tennis. He has struggled a bit during the season, but now he finds himself in amazing form and shape. Yes, the pressure is on me, but at the same time, most of the time, the pressure is a little bit more on me than on the opponent, so let’s see what’s coming. I like these challenges.".