After Jannik Sinner spoke about his priority being chasing and winning titles, rather than focusing on title defense, Aryna Sabalenka echoed a similar sentiment at the 2025 US Open. Both Sinner and Sabalenka are defending their titles at the New York Major, having won in 2024 by defeating Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula in the finals, respectively.
Leading up to the New York Major, Sabalenka and Sinner competed at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, where they were the defending champions. The Belarusian reached the quarterfinals before losing to Elena Rybakina, while Sinner finished as the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz.
What Did Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner Say About Their Ongoing Title Defense at US Open 2025?
Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2025 US Open. She began her campaign by defeating Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1 in the first round. She then eliminated Polina Kudermetova with a score of 7-6(4), 6-2 in the second round.
The World No. 1 secured her place in the quarterfinals by triumphing over 31st seed Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 7-6(2) and Cristina Bucșa 6-1, 6-4 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
Sabalenka flies through the opener in 27 minutes! pic.twitter.com/gC7MyRBrP5
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 1, 2025
On the men’s side of the draw, Sinner is also the top seed at Flushing Meadows and has advanced to the fourth round. He defeated VÃt KopÅ™iva 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and 27th seed Denis Shapovalov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the first three rounds.
Jannik Sinner’s US Open title defense is still alive! pic.twitter.com/e2bbmiqdf4
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 30, 2025
During the post-match press conference following his second-round win over Popyrin at the US Open, Sinner stated that at a tournament he is “not defending” but is always “chasing.” He expressed that he is focusing on playing his best at the New York Major and will wait to see the outcome of the tournament.
“I always say, I’m not defending. I’m always chasing. Because every tournament you start with zero in the first round, and if you don’t play well, you are out of the tournament. I know how much is on the line here in this tournament and also for the year-end. I’m looking to play as well as I can, and then we’ll see the outcome now — the rest I cannot control. I’m looking forward to it. It’s great challenges,” Sinner said.
“i’m not defending, i’m always chasing” oh my goat what a line pic.twitter.com/q25sSjpBvQ
— ًً (@bhsdtl) August 28, 2025
Similarly, during her post-match on-court interview following her victory over BucÈ™a, Sabalenka mentioned that she is focused on winning one game at a time, aiming to “not lose,” rather than concentrating on her title defense. She stated that she likes to put forth her “best fighting spirit” and will see the results as they come.
“That’s exactly what I’m not doing. I’m not playing for not to lose. I play to win. I don’t care about what happened last year. Of course, it’s a big achievement, and I’m super happy I achieved it once. But the goal is to do it many more times. My mentality is going out there every time with the best fighting spirit and just fight for my dream,” Sabalenka said.
Looking ahead, Sabalenka will face Markéta Vondroušová in the quarterfinals of the US Open, while Sinner will take on 23rd seed Alexander Bublik in the fourth round.
