Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 12:04 p.m.
Jannik Sinner did not tremble to reach the round of 16 of the Australian Open, to the detriment of Marcos Giron. This also applies to Alex De Minaur and Alex Michelsen.
In the previous round, he had dropped a set against the unknown Australian Schoolkate. This time, Jannik Sinner managed to win in three sets to reach the round of 16 of the Australian Open. The world No. 1 and defending champion was opposed to Marcos Giron, 46th, whom he had already beaten in Shanghai in 2023. The Italian did it again, with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory in 1h58, against an American weakened by a blister on his left foot in the third set. Author of 8 aces and 60% first serves, Sinner only lost his serve once during this match. In the first set, he broke in the first game to lead 3-0 then 4-1, and pocketed the set at 5-3, not without having to save a break point when serving to win the game. sleeve. Almost identical scenario in the second set, with a break from the Italian at 2-2, then a break point saved in the process, before concluding at 5-4. In the third, both players struggled with their serve in the first games, and Sinner, who led 2-0, was tied at 2-2. But the world No. 1 accelerated again, to win the next four games, and here he is in the round of 16, where he will face Holger Rune on Monday. The Dane, 13th in the world, battled for 3h29 before defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets: 6-7, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in a match with twelve breaks. Rune lost the first set 7-5 in a tiebreak, then won the second thanks to an entry break. He broke again at the start of the third set, but was unable to maintain his lead, his opponent finally winning 6-4. Trailing 4-2 in the fourth set, Rune was then up against the wall, and he woke up winning four games in a row! It was therefore necessary to play a fifth set, where a break at 4-4 allowed the Dane to win. It is now Sinner who will stand against him. A player he had beaten in their first two confrontations (Sofia 2022 and Monte-Carlo 2023) before losing the next two (Masters 2023 and Monte-Carlo 2024).
Another eighth for De Minaur
This Saturday in Melbourne was Alex’s day, as two of them, De Minaur and Michelsen, secured their ticket for the second week. The Australian De Minaur, world No. 8, enforced the hierarchy by defeating No. 31, Francisco Cerundolo, with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3 after a great battle of 3:52. Irregular in service (7 aces, 9 double-faults in total), De Minaur broke down at the end of the first set, losing the last four games. But he recovered well by winning the second 7-3 in the tie-break. He then won the third by signing a decisive break at 4-3, then the fourth by finishing strong to go from 2-3 to 6-3. The 25-year-old will play his fourth round of 16 in a row in Melbourne. But, beaten by Sinner, Djokovic then Rublev, he never managed to reach the quarters. He will try to achieve this against the American Alex Michelsen42nd in the world, who created a surprise by beating the 19th, Karen Khachanov: 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 in 2h09. The 20-year-old Californian won the first set by breaking at 4-3, the second 7-5 in the tie-break and the third by breaking at 1-0 and 5-2. The two Alexes have already faced each other twice, in 2024, and Michelsen won in Los Cabos, before De Minaur took his revenge at Roland-Garros.
