No mercy: Jannik Sinner steamrolls Alexander Bublik in just 81 minutes to reach quarterfinals at US Open

Jannik Sinner put on a masterclass in the fourth round of the US Open, keeping his title defense alive with a stunning 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alexander Bublik. The world No. 1 was seeking revenge against the Kazakh, who had surprised him on the grass courts of the Halle Open a few months prior.

The Italian needed just 1 hour and 21 minutes to defeat Bublik in three sets. The Kazakh was not a surprise at this stage of the tournament, having won 11 consecutive matches after Wimbledon and holding a 20-2 record since the start of the French Open (with one of those losses coming to Sinner at Roland Garros).

But this time, Bublik could do little against an inspired Sinner, who barely gave his opponent any opportunities on serve, dropping only three games in the entire match. The 3-time Grand Slam champion earned another comfortable victory and is now awaiting his next match against his countryman, Lorenzo Musetti.

The match started with Bublik looking somewhat disconnected. Between double faults and poor first serves, he wasn't able to get many rallies going, and Sinner quickly took a commanding lead with two consecutive breaks. In just a few minutes, Sinner was up 4-0, at which point Bublik was finally able to hold his first service game.

It didn't do much good, as Sinner stayed focused throughout the next games, getting a third break of the set and closing it out 6-1. The world No. 1 conceded just three points on his serve and took advantage of Bublik's 11 unforced errors to comfortably take the lead.

Everything remained in the Italian's favor at the start of the second set. It had only taken him 24 minutes to win the first, and he began the second with an early break, just half an hour into the match. The defending champion went up 3-0 and had a chance for a second consecutive break, but Bublik managed to hold and get back into the match with a good run of points on his serve.

However, just like in the first set, this was a minor blip for Bublik. While he was able to get on the scoreboard at 3-1, he couldn't stop Sinner's momentum. Sinner went on to win 12 of the next 14 points, closing out the second set 6-1 again. After just 52 minutes, Sinner was already up two sets on the world No. 24.

The world No. 1 showed no mercy despite his big lead and came out swinging in the third set. Bublik seemed unsure how to react to his opponent's impressive level. Two consecutive breaks to start put Sinner up 4-0, and the Italian kept pushing, giving Bublik no chance for a comeback. The Kazakh saved three break points to hold his serve for the first time, a final stand for honor. But Sinner hit the gas and closed out the remarkable 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victory in just 1 hour and 24 minutes.

Bublik only won three games, and in all of them, he had to fight off break points. Sinner won 77% of his service points and 57% of his return points. The Italian's 24 winners were more than enough against Bublik's 13. Sinner also had just 16 unforced errors compared to his opponent's 31. This was a statement victory for Sinner as he looks ahead.

In the quarterfinals, Sinner will face his countryman and friend Lorenzo Musetti, who has rediscovered his form at this US Open after a few difficult months. The 10th seed was one of the best players during the clay-court season, but a grass-court injury took time to heal, causing him to miss some tournaments and arrive at Wimbledon just in time. In fact, after his Roland Garros semifinal, Musetti only won one match in his next five.

At this US Open, he has finally found his best form again, reaching the US Open quarterfinals for the first time and a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the third time in his career. Musetti will be looking for a major upset this time against his countryman Sinner, who holds a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head.