Australian Open
From distress to success, Sinner holds off Rune to reach AO QFs
World No. 1 claims third straight win over Dane
January 20, 2025
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Jannik Sinner overcomes physical discomfort to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
By ATP Staff
Top seed Jannik Sinner staged a remarkable mid-match physical recovery Monday to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals after seeing off Holger Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Struggling in Melbourne’s 32 degree heat, Sinner called a medical timeout – during which the tournament doctor took his pulse – after two gruelling service games midway through the third set.
-At the previous change of ends, following a draining 10-minute game in which he saved three break points, Sinner sat on his bench holding an ice towel to his face as his right hand twitched uncontrollably.
The Italian still appeared physically drained after returning from off-court treatment, but he then began to move better as the set wore on. Aided by Rune’s 16 unforced errors, Sinner clinched the third set and then broke early in the fourth to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the third time.
Such was Sinner’s recovery that his thunderous first serve in his first service game of the fourth set broke a metal ring affixing the bottom of the net to the court to provide tension. That led to a further 21-minute delay, during which both players headed off court for respite from the heat.
Sinner, who improved to 3-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rune, next faces the winner of eighth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur and 20-year-old American Alex Michelsen.
More to follow.
Belgium
