Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune battled it out in an electrifying four-setter filled with twists and turns at the Australian Open. The intense match saw Sinner claim victory with a scoreline of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, securing his spot in the quarterfinals. However, the match wasn’t just about great tennis—it was loaded with drama. Both players faced challenging conditions, medical timeouts, and even a broken net. But Sinner’s lengthy 11-minute medical timeout in the third set stole the spotlight, leaving Rune frustrated.

The clash began with Jannik Sinner dominating the opening set, putting Rune on the back foot with sharp groundstrokes and tactical brilliance. But Rune roared back in the second, leveling the match with powerful rallies and pinpoint accuracy. By the third set, the momentum was shifting back and forth, with long rallies keeping the crowd on edge. Then came the unexpected turn.

At 3-2 in the third, Sinner, visibly unwell, called for a medical timeout and was taken off the court, which is rare during matches, and returned after almost 11 minutes. The Dane was left waiting on the court under the humid conditions, was less than pleased with the interruption.

In his post-match press conference, he said, “It’s perfectly fine that you check. It was a very warm day today, even though the sun wasn’t out all the time—it was very humid. So, I was also feeling it. It’s definitely fair that he got checked. I think it took longer than I expected. It was around 10 minutes, maybe even more, so that was a bit brutal in the middle of the set. But yeah, again, you know, it is what it is. I just could move on. But yeah, I had good momentum in this moment, so it was not the worst timing from his side.”

For Rune, the match was a battle from start to finish. He summed it up perfectly, saying, “The first set, he was better than me. The second set, I was better. And then in the third set, up until he took the medical timeout, it was really a battle. Like, we had long rallies. We had this incredible game with these sick rallies. So, it was really, really tough. I mean, I was almost dying also. So, it was really, you know, a struggle.”

The heat played a major role in the match, with both players struggling to stay composed. The temperatures rose to 33 degree celsius (91.4 F) at Melbourne Park. The World No.13 described the conditions, saying, “I could see him, you know, he was also struggling, so it’s normal. But, as I said, it was definitely very, very humid, very warm today, like sticking a lot on the body.” Despite the physical toll, Rune’s frustration over the prolonged break lingered.

Adding to the drama, Rune himself called for a medical timeout later in the third set after being broken at 5-3. But his break was considerably shorter, keeping the rhythm of the match intact. The fourth set brought yet another interruption when Sinner hit a fault that caused the net hook to dislodge. The ensuing 21-minute delay saw both players leave the court to escape the oppressive humidity.

The World No.1 also revealed what he was going through during the match as he took a double MTO.

Jannik Sinner opens up on ‘not feeling well’ during the match

Despite the disruptions, Jannik Sinner won the match 6-3,3-6,6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament. After the match, when asked about his health, the Italian tennis sensation said, “I don’t want to talk so much how I felt today. I was not feeling really well. 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 – playing against a tough opponent, but also playing against myself a little bit.”

The 2-time Grand Slam champion also revealed how the broken net helped him gain his strength back. “It helped me,” said Sinner. “I was lucky today that [at] this point, 20 minutes off court, trying to get back physically, putting some cold water in my head, it was very helpful. It was big, big luck to me today.”

This win brings him three matches away from defending the title he clinched last year. The defending champion now faces home favourite and eighth seed, Alex de Minaur, in the quarterfinals. Notably, the Italian tennis star holds a dominant head-to-head record against de Minaur, having won all their previous 9 encounters. 

Sinner is on a 17-match winning streak, with his last defeat coming in the Beijing Open final against Carlos Alcaraz in October. As he aims to defend his title, will Jannik Sinner maintain his winning streak both at AO and against de Minaur?