Sinner survives mighty scare in sweltering Melbourne
“The only thing at times you can do is to fight,” Jannik Sinner told reporters in Melbourne on Saturday.
That is precisely what the Italian world No.2 had to do during his eventful Australian Open third-round victory over an inspired Eliot Spizzirri in sweltering conditions at Melbourne Park.
Expecting 40+ degree temperatures on Saturday, organisers moved up the start of play in order to get some matches in before extreme weather kicked in, which meant Sinner and Spizzirri stepped out on Rod Laver Arena just after midday.
Sinner squandered an early break to drop the opening set to Spizzirri, an American ranked 85 in the world, and making his Australian Open debut.
It was the first set Sinner had dropped since last October – a stretch that included 12 consecutive straight-sets victories – and given the conditions and his opponents level, the Italian knew he had his work cut out for him.
Sinner dropped serve at the start of the second before he recovered to level the match at one set all.
Drama ensured in the third set as the four-time Grand Slam champion began to cramp, and was seen limping towards his team as he was broken for a 1-3 deficit against Spizzirri, who was bouncing around all over the court and causing Sinner all sorts of trouble.
At that moment, the extreme heat policy came into effect, which meant the roof on Rod Laver Arena was going to be closed – a process that allowed the players to get off court for close to 10 minutes.
Sinner was not allowed to get treatment during that period, but the experienced Italian used that time to stretch, get his body temperature down, and get a little bit of a breather before getting back on court.
“I got lucky with the heat rule and the roof closing,” Sinner admitted later.
He broke Spizzirri back upon resumption of play and managed to take the third set before benefitting from another 10-minute break, granted because of the extreme heat policy.
Sinner had to rally back from a break down again in the fourth, unleashing some inch-perfect backhands and missile-like groundstrokes to eventually close out a difficult 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spizzirri.
“I felt like he was moving very well, especially with the backhand not missing barely any shots. Felt like he had a great balance of how much he should go for. Started to move around the ball really well,” Sinner said of Spizzirri.
“After, I changed a bit in the rhythm and also the pace a little bit, which helped me to get into points in different ways.
“But yeah, great, great player. Have to give him a lot of credit, you know, coming here first time playing in Australia, playing this level. It's great. Seems like a good guy. I wish him obviously only the best.”
Spizzirri was using Sinner’s pace to his advantage so when Sinner dropped the speed of his ball, the American struggled to adjust and wasn’t able to keep up his aggression.
Spizzirri said he smiled to himself when play was stopped at 3-1 in the third set, realising there was going to be a much-needed break for Sinner while the roof closed. But added: “I wouldn't say, like, he got saved by it. He's too good of a player to say that, but at the same time, it was challenging timing, and that's just the nature of the sport.”
The American takes lots of positives from his performance though, describing it as “encouraging” and a valuable learning experience.
“I never played, especially in a formal match, a player of his calibre. To kind of feel out my game and go toe-to-toe with him, yeah, it felt good,” said the 24-year-old Spizzirri.
“It definitely gives me some confidence to keep going. I have some areas that I definitely need to work on, I think, and maybe that were a little bit exposed. I knew that coming in.
“He's one of the best players in the world, so he's going to kind of make you feel where your weaknesses are more than other guys and exploit them.”
Sinner also walked away from this contest knowing he has to solve the mystery of cramping in difficult conditions. The 24-year-old’s last defeat prior to Saturday was a retirement against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai, where he also struggled with cramps.
His toughest experience at the 2025 Australian Open was against Holger Rune in the fourth round, where conditions were similarly tough.
He says he has gone to Dubai – known for its high temperatures – for his last two preseason training blocks to try and get accustomed to playing in the heat but admits he still has room for improvement in that regard.
“I feel like sometimes there are no real explanations. For example, this night I didn't slept the way I wanted to. The quality of sleep was not perfect. Maybe it was this; maybe not,” he said on Saturday.
“Regardless on that, I try to be in the best possible shape every day. Recovery, everything going in the right direction. It can happen.”
Sinner now has a day and a half to recover before he takes on his fellow Italian Luciano Darderi in the round of 16 on Monday.
Darderi, 23, knocked out 15th-seeded Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time in his career.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Musetti needed five sets to overcome Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, making it the first time in history that three Italian players have reached the men’s singles round of 16 at the Australian Open.
“I feel pretty proud to be part of this trio that now we have in the fourth round here in Australian Open. It's my first time, so I'm really, really happy. I'm proud of the win today,” said Musetti, who will take on ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz for a shot at the quarter-finals.
ROLAND-GARROS
18 May - 7 June 2026
