MELBOURNE: One champion survived and another succumbed at the Australian Open on Monday as Jannik Sinner reached the quarter-finals after women’s holder Madison Keys crashed out at the hands of friend Jessica Pegula as Melbourne braced for predicted 45C heat.
Sinner became the second Italian to advance to the last eight after Lorenzo Musetti battled through sweltering conditions and beat injured Taylor Fritz to set up a round of 16 showdown with Novak Djokovic, while Iga Swiatek sent the last Australian out of the women’s draw with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over qualifier Maddison Inglis.
Two days after suffering dramatic cramps during a third-round scare against Eliot Spizzirri, Sinner bounced back with a 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) victory over fellow Italian and close friend Luciano Darderi as the heat returned to Melbourne Park.
With the sun retreating late in the afternoon, the two-time defending champion was relieved to be playing in the shade at Margaret Court Arena on a day when temperatures reached 33C.
“It’s definitely a little different when there’s no sun, even though it’s still pretty hot outside,” said Sinner, who booked his ninth consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. “It was difficult to put the match aside, I’m happy to have closed it in three sets. So I felt pretty good physically. Everything was good today.”
Sinner hit a record 19 aces in the match and said his hard work paid off. “There is still room for improvement but I am happy with my return in the new season,” he added.
Sinner will next meet eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton, who replaced the absent Djokovic and beat 12th-seeded Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the late match at Rod Laver Arena.
Shelton lost to Sinner in last year’s semifinals, one of eight successive losses to the Italian.
A year after lifting the women’s trophy with a brilliant victory over Aryna Sabalenka, Keys’ title defense ended with a 6-3, 6-4 loss to sixth-seeded Pegula.
A good friend of Pegula, with whom she makes a podcast “The Player’s Box,” Keys promised to honor a pre-match bet by eating an apple pie covered in cheese.
“A bet’s a bet, so I’m going to do it. I hope it’s less disgusting than I think it will be, but we’ll find out,” said Keys, who described herself as proud despite the loss.
Pegula is aiming for an elusive Grand Slam title at age 31, with her best performance to date reaching the US Open final in 2024.
The erratic Keys committed 27 unforced errors to Pegula’s 17 and committed six double faults as his title defense collapsed.
Pegula reached her fourth quarter-final at Melbourne Park and will meet Amanda Anisimova, who made it four American players into the women’s last eight after beating China’s Wang Xinyu.
Fourth-seeded Anisimova, a beaten finalist at the US Open and Wimbledon last year, cooled down with ice packs before taming Wang 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
Second seed Swiatek will face former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the other quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw, with the resurgent Kazakh having beaten Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-3.
Swiatek demolished qualifier Inglis on home soil as she moves closer to a first Australian crown, having won the other three majors.
Inglis, ranked 168th, was competing in the biggest match of her life after Melbourne’s two-time champion Naomi Osaka withdrew injured from their third round encounter.
Just being in the fourth round earned Inglis A$480,000 (US$330,000) – she plans to buy a toaster and kettle with the windfall.
MANY BATTLES
After brutal weather conditions led to the suspension of matches on Saturday, temperatures rose sharply again.
Monday’s longer matches featured 10-minute breaks in certain circumstances as part of measures to protect player health.
Temperatures are expected to reach 45C on Tuesday, meaning matches will likely be played under roofs at the three courts that have them.
Musetti had revenge in mind after losing to Fritz in the ATP Finals in November, and the fifth-seeded Italian delivered on his promise by winning 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first Australian Open quarter-final.
“Honestly, I am very proud. I know Taylor very well, we have played many matches, many battles. And last time in Turin he was the winner,” Musetti said. “I came here with a different mentality and I think I put in one of my best performances.”
Musetti’s reward is a blockbuster clash against 10-time champion Djokovic, who will be as fresh as possible after a three-day break.
The big Serbian suffered a defeat when his fourth round opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew due to injury.
Djokovic has won nine of his previous 10 meetings, but Musetti said: “I feel ready to try to push him to his maximum.”
Fritz also bowed out apologetically, saying he had aggravated knee and abdominal problems in his previous victory over Stan Wawrinka.
“Today I felt it from the start,” he said.
Published in Dawn, January 27, 2026
