Sinner takes the heat out of the equation and advances to the Australian Open quarterfinals

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jannik Sinner may have felt lucky to survive the third round of the Australian Open, but he bounced back quickly on Monday with a straight-set win over compatriot Luciano Darderi to reach the quarterfinals for a ninth consecutive Grand Slam event.

The two-time defending champion struggled with extreme heat and cramps in his Saturday afternoon victory over No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri and only took control after the roof closed in the third set.

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Sinner later admitted he got a little lucky with the timing of when the extreme heat policy was invoked, leading to an eight-minute pause to close the roof. He was also able to cool down in an extra 10-minute cooling break between the third and fourth sets.

In an evening match in cooler conditions, he was cruising until Darderi picked up the pace in the third set. Sinner, second in the rankings, missed a match point in the tenth game on his opponent’s serve, but then won 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).

Darderi, who saved two match points on serve, took the first two points of the tie-break but then had to stop moments before serving because of a crying child in the audience at Margaret Court Arena.

He didn’t win another point, with Sinner taking out the next seven to triumph in 2 hours and nine minutes.

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He extended his unbeaten streak to 18 against other touring Italians and earned a quarterfinal against No. 8 Ben Shelton or No. 12 Casper Ruud.

“It was very, very difficult. We are good friends off the field,” Sinner said. “In the third set I had some break opportunities, I couldn’t take advantage of them. I got tight, so I’m very happy to have closed everything in three sets.”

Sinner hit 19 aces – a personal best – and no double faults and said he was pleased with his service work during the offseason.

He also wanted to highlight some small changes to his game, including going to the net and trying to change his game.

In a tough hold in the third set, Sinner saved a breakpoint by changing the direction of the rally with a forehand drop shot, bending his knees low to win the point. He served and volleyed to keep the match.

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“Still room for improvement, but I’m very happy with how I came back,” he said. “Now for sure (the serve) is a little more stable. I try to go to the net more and be more unpredictable.”

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