TENNIS – One champion survived and another succumbed at the Australian Open yesterday as Jannik Sinner reached the quarter-finals after women’s holder Madison Keys crashed out at the hands of friend Jessica Pegula.
Sinner became the second Italian into the last eight after Lorenzo Musetti beat an injury-hampered Taylor Fritz, while Iga Swiatek sent the last Australian out of the women’s draw with a 6-0 6-3 thumping of qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Two days after suffering dramatic cramps in a third round scare against Eliot Spizzirri, Sinner rebounded with a 6-1 6-3 7-6(2) win over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi as the heat returned to Melbourne Park.
With the sun having retreated in the late afternoon, the double-defending champion was relieved to play in the shade at Margaret Court Arena on a day when temperatures reached 33 degrees Celsius.
Sinner will next meet American eighth seed Ben Shelton, who stepped in for the absent Novak Djokovic and overhauled 12th seed Casper Ruud 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 in the late match at Rod Laver Arena.
A year after hoisting the women’s trophy with a brilliant win over Aryna Sabalenka, Keys’ title defence ended with a 6-3 6-4 loss to sixth seed Pegula.
Pegula reached her fourth quarter-final at Melbourne Park and will meet Amanda Anisimova, who made it four US players in the women’s final eight after beating China’s Wang Xinyu 7-6(4) 6-4.
Second seed Swiatek will face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the other quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw, the resurgent Kazakh having blitzed Elise Mertens 6-1 6-3.
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