No. 2 seed Jannik Sinner battled through triple-digit heat in Melbourne and a strong effort from unseeded American Eliot Spizziri to fight for a four-set victory on Day 7 of the Australian Open. Sinner won 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The result came in controversial circumstances, with officials deciding to suspend play for 10 minutes at the start of the third set with Sinner trailing 2-1 due to the heat index reaching 5.0, necessitating the closure of the open roof of Rod Laver Arena. Prior to the stoppage, Sinner suffered cramps in both legs that required him to receive treatment on the field.
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After losing the first set 6-4 and falling behind in the third set, the brief suspension of the match to give Sinner a break caused many fans to complain that the two-time Australian Open champion was receiving favorable treatment from officials. When the match was stopped, Sinner was clearly having problems with his legs and lost to Spizziri.
Sinner looked refreshed after the break, although he still struggled to regain strength in his legs when play resumed. Spizziri arguably lost the momentum he had when exploiting his advantage before the match was suspended.
Upon his return, Sinner slowed the pace of the match while he recovered his legs. Spizziri quickly lost control of a set – and a match – that seemed to be his own and couldn’t hold serve. This allowed the reigning Australian Open champion to rally and win the third set 6-4.
Despite seemingly losing his advantage, Spizzirri continued to apply pressure in the fourth set and tried to move Sinner around the court with his sore legs. He quickly took a 3-1 lead as Sinner limped from cramps between points.
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However, Sinner fought back and eventually broke Spizzirri’s serve to take a 4-3 lead. At this point, those leg cramps seemed like an afterthought and Sinner seemed determined not to let the match go into a fifth set, which Spirizzi could have won. (The 24-year-old is 1-0 in five sets during his career.)
During his post-match interview, Sinner explained that he not only felt cramps in his legs but also in his arms as the match progressed.
“I struggled a bit physically today. We saw that,” The sinner said. “I was lucky with the qualifying rule and they closed the roof. I took my time and as time passed I felt better and better and I am very happy with this performance. Looking back in every big tournament I had very difficult matches. Hopefully this can give me some positive for the next round.”
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Sinner will face No. 22 seed Luciano Darderi in the round of 16 as he continues his quest for a third consecutive Australian Open title.
