Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego keep the Italian flag flying at the AO. Into the last sixteen, the men triumph in a 24-hour period that was not so great for their compatriots.
Jannik Sinner defeated American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 on Saturday, securing a spot in the last 16 of the Australian Open. The world number one from South Tyrol, aged 23, took exactly two hours to overcome world number 46 Giron.
Sinner, aiming to defend his Australian Open title, is also the reigning US Open champion. The top-seeded player will face Holger Rune in the next round after the Danish world number 13 edged Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in a gruelling five-set match: 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Currently the favourite alongside four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Sinner is expected to put up a strong performance. Novak Djokovic, 37, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles, remains the third favourite as he seeks to extend his record Australian Open wins to 11.
After his victory, Sinner expressed mixed emotions, saying, “I’m happy but I have to do better.” He acknowledged Giron’s strong baseline play and effective serving, noting, “I had some difficulty returning, but I can improve.” Sinner highlighted the need to improve his net play, adding, “Mentally, I try to stay on track, which is the most important thing. If I want to stay in this tournament, I have to improve. I hope to raise the level in the next round.”
Sonego joins Sinner in fourth round, Musetti out
In other matches, Lorenzo Musetti, the 16th seed, was defeated by American Ben Shelton in four sets: 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6. The tight tie-break in the fourth set ended Musetti’s run.
However, Lorenzo Sonego advanced to the fourth round by overcoming Fabian Marozsan. Sonego’s strong serving and aggressive groundstrokes led to a commanding 6-2 win in the fourth set, securing a 3-1 victory. He will face American qualifier Learner Tien, who shocked fifth seed Medvedev in a five-set thriller in the second round.
Bad day at the office for Paolini and Errani
In the women’s doubles, fourth seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini were eliminated in the second round, losing 5-7, 5-7 to the Russian pair Andreeva and Shnaider. It was a tough day for Errani, who also exited the mixed doubles with her partner Vavassori, losing 3-6, 4-6 to Britain’s Nicholls and Patten.
Paolini, seeded four in singles, was defeated by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the third round, with a final set score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
On Margaret Court Arena, Elina Svitolina followed her husband, Gaël Monfils, in despatching a no. 4 seed. Monfils achieved his first Top 5 win at a major since 2008 by defeating ATP No.4 seed Taylor Fritz. His wife followed securing her first Top 5 win since Wimbledon 2023.
Reflecting on her victory, Svitolina said, “I want to say I got inspired after my husband’s win, but I played so badly in the first set, I’m not sure I was inspired!” She credited her fighting spirit and drew parallels with the resilience of Ukrainians amid the ongoing conflict. “We are fighting for what is ours. Fighting spirit is in our blood,” she said.
