ATP Tour

Sinner survives cramp, heat & Spizzirri at Australian Open

Jannik Sinner faced a massive test of his title defence Saturday at the Australian Open, but found a way to survive cramp, heat and Eliot Spizzirri 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 inside Rod Laver Arena for a place in the fourth round.

With the match tied at one set all, Spizzirri broke for a 3-1 lead in the third set while Sinner clearly struggled with cramp, barely able to push up to serve or move. But the Australian Open Heat Stress Scale hit a 5, leading to a suspension of play for officials to close the roof.

After less than a 10-minute break, play resumed, but that proved critical. When play resumed, Sinner bounced back from the ropes and was able to claw to a three-hour, 45-minute victory.

The former college tennis star at the University of Texas was competing in the third round of a major for the first time and had never previously played in the Australian Open main draw. This was his first match against a Top-10 opponent.

And for much of the match, he did not show any nerves. Spizzirri went blow for blow from the baseline with the four-time major champion, playing fearless tennis.

The first three sets took two hours and 54 minutes, with Sinner making 46 unforced errors according to Infosys Stats. But the big difference has come on break points.

Spizzirri only converted six of his 16 break chances in the match, while Sinner won eight of his 11 break points. Spizzirri was just one of six in the third set, which helped Sinner battle through cramp to regain the advantage.

After the third set, players received a 10-minute break because of the tournament's heat rule. Even then, Spizzirri continued to fight, taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth set.

But Sinner showed his class and composure to set a fourth-round encounter against fellow Italian Luciano Darderi. Their clash will be the first in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.