Jannik Sinner overcame a tough opening set against world number 173 Tristan Schoolkate to keep his Australian Open title defence alive.
The defending champion, who secured his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne last year, had not lost a set since October’s Shanghai Masters. However, Schoolkate electrified the home crowd on Rod Laver Arena by breaking Sinner at 5-4 to claim the first set and snap the Italian’s 29-set winning streak.
Despite the early setback, Sinner quickly regained control, shifting into top gear to secure a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 victory and advance to the third round. The 23-year-old is now the youngest player to win nine consecutive men’s singles matches at the Australian Open since Novak Djokovic achieved the feat in 2008-2009.
Reflecting on his performance, Sinner said: “It feels different from last year, but there have been so many special moments here, on and off the court. It’s a long road ahead, but I’ll take it one day at a time. I know I can still improve.”
This marks Sinner’s first Australian Open appearance since failing two doping tests in March. While he was initially cleared, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed the decision, with a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport set for April.
For Schoolkate, who entered the tournament with only two Grand Slam match wins, his aggressive play at the net earned him 17 of 18 points there, allowing him to take the first set. But once Sinner finally broke Schoolkate’s serve—80 minutes into the match—he found his rhythm and dominated the remainder of the match. Sinner will now face American Marcos Giron in the third round on Saturday.
Other Matches
Thursday’s matches saw some significant upsets. American 17th seed Frances Tiafoe fell to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan, ranked 59th, in a thrilling five-set clash, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Meanwhile, world number 51 Miomir Kecmanovic delivered a commanding 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over 18th seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Teenage sensation Joao Fonseca’s Grand Slam debut ended after a valiant five-set battle with Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego. Fonseca, who had stunned ninth seed Andrey Rublev in the first round, lost 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to the world number 55.
Australia’s Alex de Minaur delighted the home crowd with a straight-set victory over American qualifier Tristan Boyer, while fourth seed Taylor Fritz made short work of Chilean qualifier Cristian Garin, needing just 82 minutes to secure a dominant win, dropping only three games.
Danish 13th seed Holger Rune battled past Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, triumphing 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) in a tightly contested match.
SOURCE: BBC
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