Sinner survives cramp, heat & Spizzirri at Australian Open

  • Posted: Jan 24, 2026

Jannik Sinner faced a massive test of his title defence Saturday at the Australian Open, but found a way to survive cramp, heat and Eliot Spizzirri 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 inside Rod Laver Arena for a place in the fourth round.

“Very happy for today. Obviously next match, let’s see what’s coming,” said Sinner, who will next face fellow Italian Luciano Darderi. “[We have] practised only once, so it’s not a lot. But very happy to have at least one Italian for sure in the quarters again in a Grand Slam. It’s great.”

With the match tied at one set all, Spizzirri broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set while Sinner clearly struggled with cramp, barely able to push up to serve or move. But the Australian Open Heat Stress Scale hit a 5, leading to a suspension of play for officials to close the roof.

After less than a 10-minute break, play resumed, but that short suspension proved critical. When play resumed, Sinner bounced back from the ropes and was able to claw to a three-hour, 45-minute victory.

“It was hot today. Started to cramp a little bit in the third set, which then after time it went slowly away. I know my body slightly better now with a bit of experience also, trying to handle certain situations a bit better,” Sinner said. “Got lucky today. At the point when they closed the roof, it takes a little bit time. Tried to loosen up a little bit. It helped. Changed a bit also the way of how to play certain points. That helped me today, for sure.”

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The former college tennis star at the University of Texas, Spizzirri was competing in the third round of a major for the first time and had never previously played in the Australian Open main draw. This was his first match against a Top-10 opponent.

For much of the match, the 24-year-old did not show any nerves. Spizzirri went blow for blow from the baseline with the four-time major champion, playing fearless tennis.

Sinner was far from perfect, making 51 unforced errors according to Infosys Stats. But he hit 56 winners, with his best often coming at the most critical moments

Spizzirri only converted six of his 16 break chances in the match, while Sinner won eight of his 11 break points. Spizzirri was just one of six in the third set, which helped Sinner battle through cramp to regain the advantage.

After the third set, players received a 10-minute break because of the tournament’s heat rule. Even then, Spizzirri continued to fight, taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth set.

But Sinner showed his class and composure to set a fourth-round encounter against fellow Italian Luciano Darderi. Their clash will be the first in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Darderi earlier in the day beat 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Italian had never advanced past the second round of a major before last year’s US Open, but made the third round at Flushing Meadows and now the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

The 23-year-old also beat Cristian Garin and Sebastian Baez earlier in the tournament. Darderi was 9-29 on hard courts entering the Australian Open.

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