MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Limping and desperately trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs, Jannik Sinner had just gone down a break in the third set when the extreme heat rules saved him.
Play was suspended for eight minutes while the roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena on Saturday afternoon, and the two-time defending Australian Open champion returned a revitalized man.
After seemingly being on the verge of an unlikely exit — one of his coaches, Darren Cahill, was urging the 24-year-old Italian just to stick it out for a few more games — Sinner won five of the next six games to take the set against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri.
Another 10-minute "cooling break" between the third and fourth sets followed — an allowance under the extreme heat policy — and Sinner returned for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory that highlighted a dramatic contrast of intense light and shade.
“I struggled physically today. I got lucky with the heat rule," Sinner said, agreeing that the cooler indoor conditions suited him much more than the energy-sapping heat of the first two sets. “I try to stay calm even in a moment like this. If he keeps playing the way he was playing, maybe I was dropping a little bit, maybe my tournament was over today. I don’t know."
Reflecting on his situation at 3-1 down in the third set, after he'd dropped as many service games in this match as he did in the entire 2025 tournament, the No. 2-seeded Sinner said he was just trying to survive.
“It started with the legs. Got to the arms. I was cramping a bit all over,” he said. “This is an area I know I need to improve.”
Spizzirri, a 24-year-old American who was making his debut in the Australian Open main draw, had never won three consecutive matches on the elite tour. Yet he converted six of his 16 breakpoint chances against Sinner.
In the second set, Sinner was given a rare time violation by chair umpire Fergus Murphy as he was preparing to serve. In a show of sportsmanship, Spizzirri intervened, approaching the umpire and saying he hadn't been ready to receive.
He had the crowd on his side, until Sinner's movement became visibly wobbly.
Under the roof — with the glare gone, the temperature easing across the third and fourth sets and the radiated heat from the court plummeting — the momentum swung.
“I don’t know if he got saved by it,” Spizzirri said. “I smiled a little bit when the heat rule went into effect, just because it was kind of funny timing. But at the same time, the game at 2-1 in the third set was when it hit, I think it’s 5 (on the heat scale), which means that the heat rule is in effect. So whenever that game was over, whether I broke or whether he held, we were going to close the roof.”
He was magnaminous about it, adding: “That’s the rules of the game, and, you know, you got to live with it.”
Sinner will next play fellow Italian Luciano Darderi, who beat No. 15 Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. A third Italian man also advanced, with No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti beating Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
No. 8 Ben Shelton beat Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Margaret Court Arena.
“Having the roof here closed today just amplified the noise,” Shelton told the crowd. “If this roof was open today, I don’t know if I’d be able to go the distance.”
Outside courts
Play was suspended on outside courts for at least five hours from the mid-afternoon Saturday under theat the Australian Open.
The temperature was around 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when the tournament's so-called heat scale hit a maximum of 5. The forecast was for a maximum temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Good morning
An earlier start than usual on Day 7 was no worries for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula. No. 9-seeded Keys beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 and No. 6 Pegula defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2.
Next up for the two Americans, and podcast pals, is a fourth-round encounter against each other.
No. 4 Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 in an all-American encounter to advance.
Djokovic, Osaka in night session
The night session at Rod Laver Arena featured 10-time champion Novak Djokovic against Botic van de Zandschulp and Naomi Osaka against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
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