Jannik Sinner dismissed doubts over his ability to cope with the heat as he eased past fellow Italian Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2) on Monday. The victory advances Sinner to the Australian Open quarter-finals. The defending champion showed no ill effects in 33-degree Celsius conditions at Margaret Court Arena. He sealed the victory in two hours and nine minutes.
Attention had been firmly on Sinner after he suffered severe cramping in a third-round match against American Eliot Spizzirri. However, there were no signs of physical distress this time. The world number four moved freely from start to finish, overwhelming 22nd seed Darderi with pace and precision from the baseline.
“It was very, very difficult, first of all. We are very good friends off the court,” Sinner said. “I got very, very tired in the third set, so I’m very happy I closed it in three sets.”
Heat, Pressure, and Control
Despite the heat, Sinner controlled the match early, racing to a 5-0 lead in the opening set before wrapping it up in just 27 minutes.
Darderi, playing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time, struggled to match Sinner’s intensity in the first two sets. He grew visibly frustrated, earning a code of conduct warning after smashing a ball into the crowd. He later required treatment on his left thigh after double-faulting twice to concede the second set.
The 22-year-old found renewed energy in the third set, saving two match points to lift the crowd. However, Sinner held firm, saved four break points at 4-4, and dominated the tiebreak to close out the contest. He will next face Ben Shelton for a place in the semi-finals.
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