'I've already beaten Jannik Sinner - now I'm ready to cause a huge US Open upset'

If not for a few botched match point in the final of this year's French Open, Jannik Sinner would currently be seven wins away from completing the calendar Slam. But as Sinner eyes up the defence of his US Open crown, Alexei Popyrin is waiting in the wings to spring a surprise.

The Australian has crossed paths with Sinner before, and unlike many of his tennis counterparts, can lay claim to a rather impressive 100 per cent winning record against the world No.1. The only caveat to that statement being he's only shared a court with Sinner once... but still, pretty impressive.

Regardless, the Aussie ace believes he has what it takes to cause Sinner problems when they reconvene at the US Open this week. Speaking ahead of their second-round clash, the 26-year-old said: "Jannik's the best in the world and is one of the best for a reason, but I don't feel too starstruck by the occasion. I've been in that position before. Last year is a great example of it."

Popyrin stunned the tennis world when he defeated the recently crowned Olympic champion, Novak Djokovic, in the third round of last year's US Open. It brought an end to Djokovic's pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title - an achievement he's still chasing.

The Sydney-born star talks a good game and has the pedigree to back it up. He continued: "If I can stick to my game, if I can play the way that I want to play, then I can cause trouble. I've walked out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium before, so I know what to expect.

"Walking out against Novak, it was a little bit different because I played him on two previous occasions that year, and all in slams. But you're playing one of the top guys in the sport and they're the moments that I relish. They're the moments where I come out and play some of my best tennis, and I'm hoping that I can do that again."

Popyrin is confident he can cause Sinner problems and perhaps even spring a surprise result for a second consecutive year. On his chances, he said: "There's a game plan to beat everybody.

"Based on my past experiences against him, based off when I played against him in January (in an exhibition), I picked up a few things and I've got a pretty good memory when it comes to playing against players.

"I feel like if I play them once, I know what to expect from them next time. So in a way it was lucky for me to play him this year in January. I have a game plan, and I think everybody has some sort of weakness."