By Ian Ransom and Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Jannik Sinner battled back from the brink of a cramp-induced breakdown to keep his Australian Open title defence alive after extreme heat halted play on outdoor courts at Melbourne Park on Saturday but Novak Djokovic escaped the furnace to forge ahead.
Iga Swiatek continued to misfire in her hunt for a maiden Melbourne Park crown and a career Grand Slam, the second seed singed in her 6-1 1-6 6-1 win over Russian Anna Kalinskaya to reach the fourth round.
Local favourite Maddison Inglis’ path was much easier after her opponent and twice Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka pulled out with an abdominal injury.
Second seed Sinner provided the early drama, as the Italian dropped his first set since October against inspired American Eliot Spizzirri and was a limping wreck under a blazing sun at Rod Laver Arena.
The match swung in his favour when the tournament invoked its extreme heat policy, allowing the stadium’s roof to shut and Sinner to rally for a dramatic 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 win.
The Italian said he was “lucky” to finish the last two sets under the roof, after cramp affected first his legs and then his arms.
“Tennis is a mental game. I just tried to play as calm as possible,” he said before cutting short his on-court chat.
A trio of Italian men reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the first time, as Lorenzo Musetti beat Tomas Machac 5–7 6–4 6–2 5–7 6–2 and Luciano Darderi got past Karen Khachanov 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Djokovic opened the evening session on Rod Laver Arena in much better conditions, the Serb defeating dangerous Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) to continue his hunt for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
With his 102nd match win at Melbourne, he equalled six-times champion Roger Federer’s record at the major and also became the first player to secure 400 match victories at Grand Slams.
“It’s been a great start to the tournament,” said Djokovic, who next takes on young gun Jakub Mensik.
“Things can change and I’m not getting ahead of myself.”
OUTDOOR MATCHES HALTED IN THE HEAT
The heat shutdown earlier halted outdoor matches for most of the afternoon, but those on the main showcourts continued after the roofs were shut.
With the temperature forecast to hit a scorching 40 degrees Celsius (104F), the action started an hour earlier than usual to take advantage of cooler morning conditions.
Americans Madison Keys and Jessica Pegula capitalised on their early starts, beating Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-3 and Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3 6-2 respectively to set up a last-16 clash against each other.
Holder Keys, the ninth seed, and sixth seed Pegula are Florida-based and had little fear of the heat.
Fourth seed Amanda Anisimova soon followed the duo into the fourth round with a 6-1 6-4 victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns in the second match at Margaret Court Arena.
“I hated training in the summer,” Anisimova said.
“But you know what? At least it paid off a little bit. It’s great to be playing out here even when it’s so hot, it’s nice to have a challenge.”
While the Americans soared, Elise Mertens, Elena Rybakina and Wang Xinyu all flew under the radar to progress.
STARS AND STRIPES
Fifth seed Musetti and Czech Machac might have begged to differ as the duo slogged it out for four hours and 27 minutes at John Cain Arena before the Italian prevailed.
On a day dominated by Americans, eighth seed Ben Shelton delivered another victory for the Stars and Stripes, beating Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-4 7-6(5).
Shelton’s win was held up at 4-4 in the tiebreak as Vacherot thought the American hit the ball after a double-bounce. Shelton was handed the point after a video review that took so long even Vacherot was ready to concede it to get the match going again.
A semi-finalist last year, Shelton was almost as happy as Sinner for the roof to be closed when he played at Margaret Court Arena.
“I don’t think I could have finished this match without the roof, I don’t think anyone could,” he said. “You all stay cool out there.”
Organisers warned fans to bring hats, slap on sunscreen and drink plenty of water – but many avoided the major altogether. The day session attendance of 51,048 was some 10,000 short of Friday and even less than last year’s corresponding session.
Those who braved the conditions to watch 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka’s clash with American ninth seed Taylor Fritz might have been a little disappointed when the Swiss fell 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 to bow out of the tournament for the final time.
Fellow seasoned campaigner Marin Cilic also exited after a 6-4 6-4 3-6 7-5 loss to 12th seed Casper Ruud.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom and Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Rohith Nair and Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Ken Ferris)
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