Jannik Sinner vs Tommy Paul Prediction: Sinner will fight for a win here

We are down to the Round of 16 at the US Open 2024, with a mouth-watering encounter between the top-ranked ATP from France, Jannik Sinner, and home favourite Tommy Paul, ranked 14th in the world. Both have enjoyed fantastic form throughout the tournament so far, which makes their match one of the most anticipated clashes in this stage.

The Italian No. 1, Jannik Sinner has been in scintillating form. After struggling to overcome a tough challenge from Mackenzie McDonald in four sets, Sinner cruised through his next two matches, dropping no sets to Alex Michelsen and Christopher O'Connell. His recent form is as good as it gets, 9-1 in the last ten with an active eight-match and nine-set streak.

The aggressive baseline game has been the bedrock of his success, with powerful groundstrokes and a generally reliable first serve. He's able to bully rallies with his forehand and possesses a solid backhand that makes him hard to break down.

Sinner controls the court pretty well and has often come inside the baseline, taking away a lot of time from his opponent. Comfortable covering the court due to his great speed and anticipation, he can change from defense to offense pretty fast.

Similar to recent matches, Sinner keeps his cool during pressure moments, which he will want to employ when he faces the home crowd backing Paul.

Tommy Paul has been having the same success, but without the dominance inside his route to the Round of 16. Paul opened with a four-set win over Lorenzo Sonego, won via retirement from Max Purcell in the second round, and then took out Gabriel Diallo in four sets. The recent 7-3 record from Paul, adding to the three-match win streak, shows that he is in good form but not quite as strong as Sinner.

He's built on a game of versatility: able to change the pace, slice well, and not be afraid to come in. His ability to disrupt Sinner's rhythm by changing the tempo and playing all-court will be where it's at.

For that, Paul's return game has to be on the money as he attempts to neutralize the big serve of Sinner. One of the keys will be to get early into Sinner's service games to avoid easy points being lugged away.

Playing in front of a home crowd that's totally on his side may give Paul an important psychological edge that could put pressure on Sinner, especially at any turning point in their match.

With form on his side, the dominating of their last meeting, and mental resilience when the pressure was tight, Sinner is the favourite here. Still, home crowd-supported Tommy Paul has every opportunity to make this a fighting match if he manages to unsettle Sinner with his variety and also comes forward to the net.

Sinner's consistency and his recent success against Paul make him the better candidate for the win, but Paul's ability to test top guys on a big stage could see him steal a set. ​

• Jannik Sinner Win and Over 3.5 Sets @ 2.26 Odds
• Tommy Paul (+2.5) Sets Handicap @ 1.66 Odds
• 4 Sets Total @ 2.75 Odds