Jannik Sinner won his 50th match of the year on Thursday to reach the US Open third round.
World number one Sinner defeated America’s 49th-ranked Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to make the last 32 in New York for a fourth successive year.
The 23-year-old Italian had already defeated his Californian rival just two weeks ago in Cincinnati and he repeated that outcome for his 30th hard court victory of 2024.
Sinner unleashed 28 winners and broke serve eight times.
“He’s a very tough opponent. We played each other in Cincinnati. I knew what to expect, he knew what to expect a little,” said Sinner.
Sinner went on to claim his fifth title of the season in Cincinnati.
A day later it was revealed that Sinner had escaped a ban despite twice testing positive for an anabolic agent in March, authorities accepting his explanation that the result was the result of contamination.
He will face Australia’s Christopher O’Connell for a place in the last 16.