- Defending champion wins 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3
- Australian shocks world No 1 in first set
Jannik Sinner escaped an early ambush from the local wildcard Tristan Schoolkate to book a place in the third round in his defence of the Australian Open, winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in 183 minutes on a captivated Rod Laver Arena. The result looked anything but certain after the 23-year-old West Australian, who tried and failed in qualification at Melbourne Park for five consecutive years, proved he belongs on the highest stage with an accomplished, high-energy first set against the world No 1.
At that stage close to 15,000 fans dared to imagine a remarkable upset. Yet Sinner – who was troubled by the conditions on a windy evening – elevated his play as the match wore on and in the end was comfortable in victory. “Every round here is very tough,” he said. “Everyone here in the first round, second round and third round deserves to be there. It was a very tough match, [but] I can improve.”
