Alexander Bublik’s flair for memorable lines framed the build-up to his latest meeting with Jannik Sinner and provided a lighter moment after a one-sided encounter in New York. Their fourth match of the season ended in emphatic fashion as Sinner prevailed 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

The pair’s season-long mini-rivalry has swung both ways. At Roland Garros in June Sinner recorded a clinical 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 victory and Bublik later posted on social media: “I almost got him guys.” On grass in Halle the Kazakh reversed the result, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and quipping after the match: “I got him, guys!”

Before their Arthur Ashe Stadium clash, Bublik was asked what makes Sinner tough to face. “Everything. He is like an AI-generated player, but we all try to find a way to get closer to him, to beat him. I was lucky once and let’s see how it goes today.”

On court, Sinner answered decisively. The match lasted under 90 minutes, leaving little for the crowd to dissect. Bublik had reached the fourth round after a five-set upset over 14th seed Tommy Paul, but he struggled to find rhythm against the world No 1. During the post-match handshake Bublik smiled and said to Sinner: “That’s so good. I’m not bad, but you’re the GOAT.”

Sinner reflected on familiarity and form. “We know each other very well. We had some tough battles, especially this year, so we know each other a little bit better now how we play,” he said. “He just said congrats and wished me all the best. He had a very tough match the last match playing five sets, finishing very late.

“Today he didn’t serve as good as he usually serves, so I broke him very early in every set, which then gave me the confidence to serve a little bit better.”

Sinner’s next opponent is Lorenzo Musetti, who dismissed Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-0, 6-1. The reigning champion leads their head-to-head 2-0, with wins in 2021 and 2023. “It’s great to see. Italian tennis is in great form now. We have so many players, so many different game styles,” Sinner said. “Lorenzo is maybe one of the biggest talents we have in our sport, so I’m looking forward for this one. From an Italian point of view it’s great to have for sure one Italian player in the semis.”

Labor Day at the US Open produced a decisive fourth-round victory as Felix Auger-Aliassime overwhelmed Andrey Rublev, ending a 1-7 deficit in their series. The match on Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted two hours and 16 minutes and finished 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

Auger-Aliassime, the No. 27 seed and Montreal native, combined blazing serves and a dominant forehand to dictate rallies. Some of his first serves topped 130 mph. He produced 42 winners to Rublev’s 22 while also committing 33 errors to Rublev’s 18. The result gave Auger-Aliassime a quarterfinal berth in a depleted section of the draw, with only No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur standing between him and a place in the semifinals.

“It was a good win considering our head-to-head (Rublev led going in, 7-1) ,considering how good he is as a player,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I was down 4-2 in the first set, but once I settled into the match I felt much better about my chances. From that moment on I felt like I was putting a lot of pressure on him.”

Rublev, the 27-year-old Russian and No. 15 seed, has often reached Grand Slam quarterfinals only to stall thereafter. On this day he could not neutralize Auger-Aliassime’s power or timing. As Sam Querrey said on air, “Rublev has never hit a slice in his life. He’s going to hit hard from either side, every point. If your serve is off and you put the ball right in the pocket he’s going to make you pay. ” Auger-Aliassime simply denied him the chance to make him pay.

Auger-Aliassime reflected on the role of his forehand and his approach: “Well, [the forehand] has always been my strength and my instinct growing up was to have the match be in my hands,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I was never a kid that was playing and waiting for the mistake. Sometimes it played against me. I would miss plenty as a kid, and then I had to kind of know how to use it well, and to be precise and consistent. It’s a similar thing now at a higher level.”

He also acknowledged the process of rebuilding form and fitness: “Throughout the years I still had good moments,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I was around 25, 30 in the world. It was not like I was losing all the time. But for sure there were months where I was thinking, ‘Okay, what’s my approach tactically with my game?’ Once I got the physical (injuries) things kind of sorted out, it was like, ‘Okay, now I’m healthy again. How am I playing?’”

Auger-Aliassime arrives in the quarters having upset No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round and having reversed recent major disappointments that included collapses at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Jannik Sinner produced a clinical performance, dispatching Alexander Bublik 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in 81 minutes at the US Open. The top seed and ATP No. 1 combined pace and precision from the first ball, turning an opening-game exchange into an early break that set the tone.

Bublik arrived having held serve 55 straight times and riding a run that included two titles and 11 consecutive match wins since Wimbledon. He had beaten Sinner in June and, two nights earlier, had eliminated No. 14 seed Tommy Paul on the same court. Sinner, however, returned six first serves in the opening game and erased Bublik’s momentum. When Bublik double faulted, his service-hold streak ended.

Bublik’s level dipped as the match progressed. He tried two underhand serves in one game and double faulted; he also played tentative drop shots that did not find the mark. The first set closed quickly and the next two followed a similar pattern: Bublik was broken early in each set, while Sinner produced passing shots and measured running winners to build commanding leads.

“I broke him very early in every set, which gave me the confidence to serve a little better,” said Sinner, who faced just one break point and won 81 percent of his first-serve points. “So much energy here,” he added of Ashe, where he was making his night debut this year.

Statistically the match was stark. Bublik managed just two aces and committed 13 double faults. He won 19 percent of points on his second serve and finished with 13 winners to 31 unforced errors. The crowd was treated to a few sharp reflex returns from Bublik late in the match, but the overall impact was limited.

When they shook hands, a still-smiling Bublik told Sinner, “I’m not bad. But what the f—-?” Later, on Instagram, he put up a two-letter post: AI