Rejuvenated Sinner sails into quarter-finals
Jannik Sinner looks rejuvenated as he sails into the Australian Open quarter-finals with an assured victory over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi.
Jannik Sinner looks rejuvenated as he sails into the Australian Open quarter-finals with an assured victory over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi.
Jannik Sinner negotiated a brief moment of late uncertainty on Monday at the Australian Open, but ultimately asserted his authority to defeat fellow Italian Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2) and move into the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
The No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings struck with authority, pairing relentless precision with a clinical edge that largely kept doubt and drama at bay. Having struggled with cramping against Eliot Spizzirri in the previous round — a match in which he later admitted he “got lucky” with a timely roof closure — Sinner escaped a nervy finish against Darderi, as both his momentum and physical condition briefly threatened to fade.
“It was very difficult. We are good friends off the court, that’s also a small difficulty to put away,” Sinner said of Darderi. “In the third set I had a couple of break chances, [but] I couldn’t use them… Then I got very tight, so I’m very happy that I closed it in three sets.”
Simply too good 🔥@janniksin defeats compatriot Darderi to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth time.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/LVdNyAZeO4
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 26, 2026
In his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Darderi, Sinner dictated from the baseline with clean timing and sharp serving. Darderi briefly threatened late in the third set when he produced a surge of aggressive baseline play to earn four break points at 4-4 and led 2/0 in the tie-break. It loomed as a potential turning point, but Sinner shut the door emphatically, winning seven straight points to close out the victory.
Next up, Sinner will face Ben Shelton or Casper Ruud as he continues his bid to join Novak Djokovic as the only men to lift three consecutive Australian Open titles. The pair now sit just one win apiece away from a potential blockbuster semi-final clash.
[NO 1 CLUB]With his two-hour, nine-minute victory over Darderi, Sinner advanced to his fourth Australian Open quarter-final, drawing level with Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas for the fourth-most appearances at that stage among active players.
Sinner’s blend of power and efficiency proved decisive in his straight-sets victory, allowing him to close out the match without inviting further questions around his fitness. He finished with 46 winners, including 19 aces, and remained perfect against his countrymen, extending to an 18-0 tour-level record against fellow Italians.
“We put a lot of work in, especially with the serve,” Sinner added. “We changed the motion a bit and I feel for sure a little bit more confident. There is still room to improve, which is normal, but I’m very happy with how I have come back in the new season. At the end of last season, I served really well, [and] it’s much more stable.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jessica Pegula ends Madison Keys’ Australian Open title defence to reach the quarter-finals and win a “gross” apple pie bet.
Lorenzo Musetti downed fellow Top 10 star Taylor Fritz on Monday at the Australian Open, where the Italian is into his fourth major quarter-final and first in Melbourne.
Combining elite court coverage with his blistering shotmaking, Musetti scored a 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory inside Rod Laver Arena to seal a set of quarter-final appearances at the four Slams.
Musetti’s Career-Best Result At Each Major
| Major Tournament | Best Result |
| Australian Open | QFs (2026)* |
| Roland Garros | SFs (2025) |
| Wimbledon | SFs (2024) |
| US Open | QFs (2025) |
*Active
“I think today [my serve] was really working well,” said Musetti, who struck 13 aces and won 84 per cent of his first-serve points. “I think I made one of my best performances in aces in my career so far, so I’m really, really happy.
“When I finished last season pretty late, the goals were to start well this year, because I’d never surpassed the first week here. Making the final in Hong Kong, winning doubles in Hong Kong [with Lorenzo Sonego] and now being in the quarter-finals, for me, it’s really a dream.”
The fifth seed has earned a clash against record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, who reached the last eight after Czech Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal muscle injury. Djokovic leads Musetti 9-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, and will enter Wednesday’s meeting on a six-match winning streak against the Italian.
Two days removed from playing a four-hour, 27-minute five-set battle against Tomas Machac, Musetti showed no obvious signs of fatigue under the afternoon sun. Musetti opened his shoulders and dictated play from the baseline, crushing 33 winners and using his heavy top-spin forehand to draw errors from Fritz.
[NO 1 CLUB]The American struggled early to land his usually reliable serve, finishing the first set with a 42 per cent first-serve percentage, according to Infosys Stats. Though Fritz found more rhythm behind his delivery as the match wore on, he was unable to make inroads on return (0/2 on break points).
Sporting k-tape on both his left and right oblique areas, Fritz called for the physio at 3-2 in the second set. Musetti, a two-time tour-level titlist, broke Fritz to love at 5-5 later that set, allowing him to serve for a two-sets-to-love advantage. Musetti again broke Fritz in the opening game of the third set and rarely looked back, clinching victory after two hours and three minutes. Musetti kept his cool when serving for the match, landing three deft drop shots en route to holding to love.
“I definitely improved my serve a lot and especially trying to be more aggressive with the forehand and trying to use my variation to lead the game,” Musetti said when asked about adjustments he’s made to improve on hard courts. “Like today, with the forehand trying to open the court and make the opponent move. I think before, I was starting to play too far and I was a little too passive on the rally.
“My coach always keeps telling me to be a little more aggressive and try to go for it, take the lead of the rally. That’s what I did today.”
Musetti is competing at a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings this fortnight. Last year, he posted a career-best 45 tour-level match wins and competed at the year-end Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. With his latest win, Musetti improved to 4-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fritz, who beat the Italian in Turin in November. The Italian’s victory marked his first hard-court win against Fritz.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Here to stay 😤
Lorenzo Musetti defeats Fritz 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time.@AustralianOpen | #AO26 pic.twitter.com/DYXdTDropk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 26, 2026
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Novak Djokovic moves through to the Australian Open quarter-finals as fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik pulls out with an abdominal injury.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz describes his serve as an “important weapon” as he continues his serene run to the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Jakub Mensik has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury, giving Novak Djokovic a walkover into the quarter-finals.
“After doing everything we could to keep going, I have to withdraw from the Australian Open due to an abdominal muscle injury that has progressed over the last matches,” Mensik said. “Even though I’m disappointed, making the fourth round here for the first time is something I will carry with me for a long time.
“I felt so much energy from the fans and the atmosphere in Melbourne was truly special.”
[NO 1 CLUB]After battling past former Top-10 star Pablo Carreno Busta in five sets in the first round, Mensik beat Rafael Jodar and Ethan Quinn in straight sets. But he will not take the court for what would have been a rematch of the 2025 Miami final, won by Mensik.
Djokovic will take on fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti or ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. The 10-time Australian Open champion is pursuing his 25th major trophy.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]