Melbourne, Jan 22 (.) Two-time defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner extended his dominance at Melbourne Park with a commanding straight-sets victory over Australia’s James Duckworth to march into the third round of the season’s first Grand Slam on Thursday night.
Playing under clear but chilly conditions at Rod Laver Arena, the Italian world No.2 was in ruthless touch as he wrapped up a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win in one hour and 49 minutes, recording his 16th consecutive victory at the Australian Open.
The win also stretched Sinner’s overall unbeaten run to 17 matches across tournaments, with the 22-year-old having not dropped a set in his last 12 outings since his defeat to Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai last October.
Sinner was sharp from the outset, breaking Duckworth early in the opening set with trademark precision and controlled aggression to race to a 4-1 lead before sealing the set in just 26 minutes. The Italian continued to dictate play from the baseline, neutralising the home favourite despite strong fan support for the Australian.
Duckworth, ranked 88th and celebrating his 34th birthday earlier this week, showed resilience in the second set, briefly lifting the fans when he held serve from 0-40 to move ahead 3-2. However, Sinner’s relentless pressure proved decisive as he broke back to clinch the set 6-4.
The third set followed a familiar pattern, with Sinner breaking twice to surge to a 4-0 lead. An 18th ace on match point sealed another emphatic performance by the reigning champion.
Sinner will next face in-form American Eliot Spizzirri, who reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time after a five-set win over China’s Wu Yibing.
If Sinner goes on to lift the title again, he will become only the fourth player in history to win three consecutive Australian Open men’s singles crowns, and just the second in the Open era after Novak Djokovic.
. . CDS