Jannik Sinner, the current World No. 1, commented on the surprising early exits of rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic from the US Open, emphasizing the unpredictable nature of tennis. Alcaraz was defeated in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp, marking his worst performance at the tournament, while Djokovic was ousted in the third round by Alexei Popyrin, recording a significant number of double faults. Sinner, who advanced with a straight-sets victory over Christopher O'Connell, expressed the psychological challenge of competing after witnessing these upsets and acknowledged the high level of play from their opponents. He stated, "Whenever you drop a little bit of your level... it has a huge impact on the result". Sinner is set to face Tommy Paul in the next round, noting the match will be a significant challenge. He aims to continue improving as both a player and a person throughout the tournament.