Jannik Sinner kicked off his US Open title defense with a crushing 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 win over Czech player Vít Kopřiva, ranked No. 89 in the world, AFP reported. The No. 1-seeded Italian needed just one hour and 38 minutes to defeat his 28-year-old opponent, for whom this was a debut in the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

“The feeling of being back here is incredible. This is truly a special tournament,” Sinner said after the match.

The 24-year-old tennis player aims to become the first man since Roger Federer to defend the New York title. The Swiss won five consecutive editions between 2004 and 2008. Since then, the US Open has been the Grand Slam with the longest streak without a successfully defended men’s title in the Open Era.

In the next round, Sinner will face either Alexei Popyrin or Emil Ruusuvuori. He demonstrated that he has fully recovered from the illness that forced him to withdraw from the final against Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati tournament last week.

“I’m very happy to be healthy again,” the Italian said after the match, in which he broke Kopřiva’s serve seven times. “We did everything possible to be in the best shape for this tournament. I’m satisfied with my performance today.”

“I have incredible memories from last year. Every year is different, but you always start with the hope of beginning in the best way. I think that’s exactly what I did,” Sinner added.

This season, he has already won two of the three Grand Slam titles — the Australian Open and Wimbledon — and at Roland Garros reached the final, where he missed three match points and lost to Alcaraz in a fifth-set tiebreak. | BGNES