Madison Keys of the U.S. waves after defeating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jannik Sinner was limping and trying to stretch out cramps in his arms and legs, and had just gone down a break in the third set when the extreme heat rules kicked in at the Australian Open.
Play was suspended for several 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.
He won five of the next six games to take the third set against No. 85-ranked Eliot Spizzirri enroute to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 third-round 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. “As the time passed, I felt better and better.”
Reflecting on his state at 3-1 down in the third set, after he’d dropped as many service games in this match as he did in winning the entire 2025 tournament, the No. 2-seeded Sinner said he was just trying to survive until a longer break.
“It started with the legs. Got to the arms. I was cramping a bit all over,” he said. “This is the sport. This is an area I know I need to improve.
“Tennis is a very mental game. I tried to stay as calm as possible. I’m here to fight, to play every point the best possible way.”
He’ll next play fellow Italian Luciano Darderi, who beat No. 15 Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Three Italian men advanced to the round of 16, with No. 5 Lorenzo Musetti beating Tomas Machac 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a match on John Cain Arena that also had to be briefly halted — in the fifth set — to close the roof.
Play was suspended on outside courts for at least three hours in the mid-afternoon Saturday under the extreme heat rules at the Australian Open.
The temperature was around 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when the extreme heat policy was invoked — in 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).
An earlier start than usual on Day 7 and hot weather were no worries for defending champion Madison Keys and her fellow American Jessica Pegula in their morning matches. The ninth-seeded Keys beat Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-3 in the opening match on Rod Laver Aren, while sixth-seeded Pegula defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at Margaret Court Arena.
Next up for the two Americans, and podcast pals, is a fourth-round encounter against each other.
“I served well, and overall I give myself a full pat on the back for that,” Keys said of her win. “It gives yourself a boost when you can find your best tennis, trust your game and try to do the right things.”
There was an all-American encounter on Saturday as well — fourth-seeded Amanda Anisimova beat Peyton Stearns 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the Round of 16.
Djokovic, Osaka in night session
The night session at Rod Laver Arena featured 10-time champion Novak Djokovic as he continued his quest for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic plays Botic van de Zandschulp in the first of the evening matches.
The concluding match on the main court could have the capacity crowd guessing what fashion statement Naomi Osaka might make in her third-round encounter with Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Osaka, who has two Australian Open titles among her four majors, walked onto the court wearing a wide-brim hat, a veil and holding a white parasol for her first-round match. For her second, Osaka didn’t bother with the couture hat, veil and parasol but was still wearing a jellyfish-inspired dress and matching warmup jacket.
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer
This post was last modified on 01/23/2026 10:20 pm