A misfiring and cramping Jannik Sinner admitted on Saturday that he “got lucky” after dropping a rare set before taming American underdog Eliot Spizzirri in furnace-like heat to make the last 16 at the Australian Open.
The two-time defending champion was broken three times in the first set and six times in total as he laboured to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory on over a lung-bursting three hours and 45 minutes.
With temperatures climbing to 40C, it was not the demolition job many predicted against a player ranked 85 with Sinner struggling to acclimatise to the brutal conditions.
Draping himself in ice towels during the changeovers, he suffered a fright in the third set with severe cramp that needed treatment. Hobbling, he was only saved when play was halted due to the extreme heat and the stadium roof closed. It was the first time Sinner had dropped a set in 12 matches, dating back to Vienna last year against Alexander Zverev.
“It was hot today, I started to cramp a little bit in the third set, and yeah, got lucky today. At the point when they closed the roof, I tried to loosen up a little bit. It helped. I changed a bit also the way of how I played certain points. That helped me today, for sure,” said Sinner, who will face compatriot Luciano Darderi for a place in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka, 40, made a heroic final farewell to the Australian Open in a battling third-round loss to Taylor Fritz. The US ninth seed beat the three-time Grand Slam-winner 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Wawrinka, who made his debut at Melbourne Park in 2006 and won the major in 2014, is playing his last season before retiring.
12
No. of matches since Jannik Sinner last dropped a set
51
No. of unforced errors committed by Jannik Sinner
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