MELBOURNE, Australia — Jannik Sinner is through to the Australian Open quarterfinals after a drama-filled fourth-round win over Holger Rune. World No. 1 Sinner won in four sets, 6-3. 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, but this did not tell the story of a contest defined by injury. sweltering temperatures in Melbourne and a bizarre incident with the net.
Sinner won a routine first set as Rune sprayed his groundstrokes, making 14 unforced errors between his forehand and backhand to Sinner’s seven.
Then, midway through the second set, the defending Australian Open champion winced when running down a ball from the Danish No. 13 seed on his backhand side. Sinner served at 3-4 while in discomfort, double-faulting to concede the break before Rune served out the set. His movement had worsened throughout, with Sinner appearing to indicate to his box that he was struggling with his movement on his left side.
Jannik Sinner was in visible discomfort for much of his match against Holger Rune. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
In his on-court interview with Jim Courier, Sinner said he had not warmed up on the morning and that he knew the match would be physically difficult. He did not elaborate on the cause of his hampered movement.
Sinner appeared in less discomfort when he returned from the set changeover but still looked labored between some points, struggling to get out of his follow-through on the backhand side. At 30-40, 1-1, Sinner prevailed in a lung-busting rally that was one of the points of the tournament so far, grinding out a service game that lasted more than ten minutes.
He continued to struggle physically, looking to end points as quickly as possible when returning serve.
Sinner withdrew from the 2024 Italian Open in Rome with a hip injury, but on his right side; the problem in Melbourne was his left. He has appeared physically hampered in matches — especially between points — in the past and has gone on to win them, but his first-serve percentage dropped precipitously from 63 percent to 38 percent between set two and set three, inviting pressure from Rune on top of his physical limitations.
At 2-2, Sinner fell from 40-0 to 40-40, helped by two blitzed second-serve returns from Rune and a double fault. Another double fault gave Rune a break point, but two strong serves and a poor error from Rune allowed Sinner to move up 3-2.
Sinner then left the court for treatment, having been checked over by physios at the side of the court with a monitor attached to his finger. Sinner had visibly shaken at the side of the court during one changeover.
He returned after 11 minutes and 20 seconds. The set remained close until 3-4 on Rune’s serve, when he abandoned the patience and rally tolerance that had given him the opportunity to at least earn a tiebreak. Appearing hampered by an issue with his right knee, the Dane played a loose game and with it handed Sinner the third set. He immediately received medical treatment before Sinner served out.
“It’s fair that he got checked, but it took a bit longer than I expected,” Rune said.
“I had good momentum in this moment so it was not the worst timing from his side. They checked him on the court and the umpire said he needed further checks, more checks, and then he came back firing so I don’t know what they did.”
Holger Rune displayed great mental strength to apply pressure to a struggling Sinner, but could not sustain it. (Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images)
The drama was not done. At 0-1 in the fourth set, a Sinner first serve thwacked into the net, breaking the bolt connecting it to the court. Play was suspended for over 20 minutes, with a new hole drilled for the net housing, giving Sinner and Rune more chance to collect themselves.
Sinner recovered better from the extended break, taking control of the second set to take it 6-2. He will face Alex Michelsen or Alex De Minaur in the quarterfinals.
‘Even the best players in the world sometimes need a lucky break’
Analysis from tennis writer Charlie Eccleshare
Even the best players in the world sometimes need a lucky break.
Sinner got one today, helped out in a big way by the 21-minute stoppage early in the fourth set because of the broken net.
The momentum had already shifted Sinner’s way by the time his serve smacked the bolt connecting the net to the court out of the ground, but he was not in a good way when he took an 11-minute medical assessment and then timeout at 3-2 in the third set. From the moment the players left the court, it felt like a reprieve for Sinner, an opportunity to reset and refuel.
So it proved. He won the fourth set pretty comfortably and in the closing stages it was Rune who was struggling physically.
Sinner’s serve that broke the net was a freak incident in an already strange match played in the burning heat of the day. Sinner, who showed much more emotion in the closing stages and at the end of the match than is typical, knew how easily it could have gone the other way. This could prove to be a pivotal moment in his title defence, especially with the top seeds in his half tumbling out early.
For Rune, this is the best tennis he has showed since arguably the 2023 season, certainly at a Grand Slam and definitely against a top player. Men’s tennis is a more exciting place with him a factor, and hopefully he can build on this rather than being consumed by what might have been if the net had remained intact.
(Top photo: Hannah Peters/ Getty Images)
