Jannik Sinner will face an Australian Open rematch against Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals after the defending champion survived a late dip to defeat his compatriot Luciano Darderi to avoid another examination of his physical struggles.
Sinner admitted he got “lucky” in his third-round win over Eliot Spizzirri as the defending champion was saved by the heat rule. Sinner was cramping and looked to be in big trouble before the tournament’s heat stress level enforced the closing of the roof, as the 24-year-old second seed recovered to close out victory.
