Australian Open: Jannik Sinner toughs it out as Learner Tien hobbles, Gael Monfils retires

Jannik Sinner battled through illness and reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday, but the physical demands of grand slam tennis proved too much for French veteran Gael Monfils and American teenager Learner Tien. Iga Swiatek was in excellent shape as she continued her bid for a maiden title at Melbourne Park, and sixth major, by downing Eva Lys 6-0, 6-1, but Elena Rybakina could not shake off a back problem and fell 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to Madison Keys. Monfils, 38, was forced to retire with his own back issue while trailing American young gun Ben Shelton 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 1-0, ending an inspired run at the year’s first grand slam after his Auckland triumph. The stifling heat did not help defending champion Sinner when he started struggling physically in the second set of his fourth-round clash with Dane Holger Rune on a steamy afternoon at Rod Laver Arena. The top seed did not want to go into detail on what was ailing him but admitted to having dizzy spells before a lengthy medical timeout in the third set that proved a turning point in his 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. “I wasn’t feeling really well,” said 23-year-old Sinner. “I think we saw that today, I was struggling physically. Came here as late as possible. I knew that it was going to be very, very difficult today.” Sinner will next face local hopeful Alex de Minaur, who beat Alex Michelsen of the US 6-0, 7-6, 6-3. “It means the world,” said De Minaur, who has now reached the last eight at every grand slam. “There’s nothing I want to do more than play well here in Australia.” Unseeded Lorenzo Sonego made it two Italians in the quarter-finals when he defeated hobbling 19-year-old American qualifier Tien 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. Tien, who was bidding to become the youngest man to reach the quarters since Goran Ivanisevic in 1989, stretched his strapped right thigh after a double fault and never looked comfortable physically. Keys was delighted to be back in the last eight at Melbourne a decade after the first of her two runs to the semi-finals. She will next play Elina Svitolina, who beat Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-1 in the opening singles match. The 30-year-old Ukrainian was 4-1 down in the first set but rallied for a comfortable victory before writing the message “the Spirit of Ukraine” on the camera before she left the court. “I was extremely motivated to win today, so that people in Ukraine wake up to good news,” said Svitolina, who moved to 7-0 against Russian players since the 2022 invasion of her homeland. Svitolina was back on Margaret Court Arena later in the day to cheer on her husband Monfils, but there was no double delight for them on the day. That was reserved for Swiatek, who after her win got news that the World Anti-Doping Agency would not appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in her doping case after she tested positive for trimetazidine last year. The Pole had accepted a one-month ban after explaining that her positive test was the result of contamination of her sleep medication melatonin. Swiatek said: “I’m just satisfied that I can get a closure, kind of, and I can just move on and finish this whole process.” A relieved Swiatek will next meet American Emma Navarro, who beat Russian Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 5-7, 7-5. In doubles action, the women’s pair of China’s Zhang Shuai and her French partner, Kristina Mladenovic, beat Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan 7-6, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. However, China’s Zheng Saisai and Wang Xinyu fell to Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain and Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, who won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6. In the third round on the men’s side, China’s Zhang Zhizhen and Czech partner Tomas Machac were knocked out 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 by Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France and Monaco’s Hugo Nys. Meanwhile, a broadcaster apologised after Novak Djokovic declined to do a customary post-match on court interview at the Australian Open following his straight-sets victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday to protest against comments made on air by someone who works for the TV network. Djokovic said he wanted an apology from Channel 9 and Tony Jones, who called the 24-time grand slam champion overrated and a has-been during an on-air appearance at Melbourne Park where a crowd of the player’s supporters were chanting.

Australian Open: Jannik Sinner toughs it out as Learner Tien hobbles, Gael Monfils retires

Iga Swiatek reaches quarters and gets ‘closure’ over doping case, while Australian TV reporter apologises to Novak Djokovic