Sinner's dominance was so complete that Bublik described his opponent's play as "like AI" after the match. The Italian played a near-perfect match, controlling most rallies with his powerful groundstrokes. Sinner only faced one break point and capitalized on eight of 17 break point opportunities.

Sinner returns a serve during his fourth-round match at the US Open on Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on 1/9. _Photo: Reuters_

Bublik, seemingly wary of extended rallies with Sinner, served his second serve with almost the same pace as his first, resulting in 13 double faults. At times, the Kazakh player could only laugh in frustration. He made sure to engage the crowd whenever he hit a winner, which wasn't often.

The 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 scoreline reflected Sinner's ruthless efficiency against Bublik. The third set could have been even more lopsided, but Sinner missed three break points at 4-0. This was the second time at a Grand Slam this year that Sinner allowed his opponent only three games. The previous instance was in the third round of the French Open, where he defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2. Lehecka also reached the quarterfinals of this year's US Open, facing Carlos Alcaraz.

The Sinner-Bublik match lasted only 81 minutes, the second shortest men's singles match of the tournament. Sinner suggested that Bublik's five-set match against Tommy Paul in the third round had taken its toll.

"He wasn't serving as well as usual today," Sinner said of Bublik. "I got early breaks in all three sets, which gave me a lot of confidence throughout the match."

For the first time in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, two Italian players will face off as Sinner takes on 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti. Musetti is also in top form, having defeated Jaume Munar 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 in the fourth round. "Musetti is one of the biggest talents in our country," Sinner said of his upcoming opponent. "On the positive side, Italy is guaranteed a representative in the semifinals."

All of the men's singles fourth-round matches on 1/9 ended in straight sets. Alex De Minaur beat Leandro Riedi 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, while Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

Vy Anh