Melbourne : World number-1 tennis player Yannick Sinner has maintained his excellent form in the Australian Open 2026 and has reached the quarter-finals for the third consecutive time. In the match played at Margaret Court Arena on Monday, Sinner defeated his own countryman Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-3, 7-6(2).
Initial dominance, then tough competition
This was the first tour-level match between the two players, in which Sinner won the first two sets easily on the basis of strong service and constant pressure from the beginning. However, in the third set, Darderi made a strong comeback and scored four break points at the score of 4-4.
Sinner’s class shown in tie-break
At one point in the tie-break of the third set, it seemed that the course of the match could change, but Sinner showed his best play at important moments. He not only ended the match by winning seven consecutive points, but also gave a befitting answer to all the questions raised regarding his fitness.
Sinner’s dominance in statistics
In this match that lasted two hours and nine minutes, Sinner hit 46 winners, which included 19 aces. With this win, his tour-level record against Italian players has become 18-0. Additionally, he also achieved the feat of winning 18 consecutive matches in the Australian Open.
Sinner close to history
Defending champion Sinner has now reached his fourth Australian Open quarter-final. In this matter, he has equaled players like Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Now he will face Ben Shelton or Casper Rood in the quarter-finals. Sinner is attempting to win his third consecutive Australian Open title—a feat accomplished only by Novak Djokovic in the Open Era.
