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Deep in the throes of battle, when the struggle of mind over matter reaches its peak, Jannik Sinner freely admits a little luck never goes astray.

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His body had been revolting against him from the moment he hit match day, and that was only compounded by Holger Rune’s daring onslaught on a searing Melbourne afternoon at Rod Laver Arena on Monday.

The Australian Open reigning men’s champion admitted he felt a “bit dizzy” as his hands and body shook at the changeover in the third set, before a freak reprieve early in the fourth when the net was dislodged from the centre screw afforded him a welcome break.



“[It] broke the other part, which is the most important part for the net to hold on. It helped me,” Sinner said. “Yeah, I was lucky today that this point, you know, 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.”

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Sinner rode that luck to a four-set triumph over the Dane to book a 10th showdown with home favourite Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

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Their head-to-head ledger reads 9-0 to the Italian. De Minaur does not need any such turn of events – nets, falling feathers or otherwise – handing the world No.1 any reprieve.

“Every match is different,” Sinner downplayed. “Playing against him here in Australia, it's for sure different.”

The Australian had the Rod Laver Arena crowd on its feet after he booked his maiden quarterfinal at his home Grand Slam – his fourth straight at a major – following a straight-sets win over unseeded American Alex Michelsen on Monday.



All too aware of the lopsided record, the most recent defeat of which played out in last year’s Davis Cup final, the eighth seed saw it as an opportunity to start from scratch.

“The great thing about tennis is that once you step out on the court, you both start at 0-0, right? It's a whole new day, a whole new match, and anything can happen,” De Minaur said.

“Sports is unpredictable. That's exactly the mindset I'm going to have going into that match.

“I'm looking forward to it. That's the matches I want to be playing. Ultimately, if there is anything, it's going to be my first match this whole tournament where I'm the underdog and don't have all the pressure and expectation of, you know, having to win.”

“Sports is unpredictable. That's exactly the mindset I'm going to have going into that match.”
Alex de Minaur
The victor will square off against a first-time Australian Open semifinalist when 21st seed Ben Shelton and Slam quarterfinal debutant Lorenzo Sonego duel for the third time.

Big-swinging lefty Shelton took the honours in the pair’s only hardcourt meeting in Cincinnati in 2022, but the Italian squared the head-to-head in a first-round Roland Garros tussle a year later.

Shelton was stretched for more than three hours against the age-defying Gael Monfils before a back injury ended the French veteran’s charge early in the fourth, while Sonego, in his 26th main draw appearance, outlasted 18-year-old American Learner Tien.

Having ventured this far on debut two years ago before a US Open semifinal later in 2023, Shelton was primed for the task at hand.



“There is a whole new matchup in front of you, and if somebody's in the quarterfinals or semifinals, they're close to the best version of themselves,” he said.

“I think, for me, having a game plan going in, not just going out there and whaling on the ball and seeing what happens … but being able to trust yourself and your fitness this late in the tournament.”

Five-time major champion Iga Swiatek does not consider herself ruthless despite having conceded just 11 games through her opening four rounds, including over 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu and lucky loser Eva Lys in her third and fourth rounds.

It is the fewest number of games, excluding retirements, she has dropped at a Grand Slam, even more impressive than her previous miserly benchmark set at Roland Garros.

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The Pole meets eighth seed Emma Navarro for the second time, with the American having dropped a set in every round to reach as far.

“We kind of played in 2018, but, like, I'm not going to count this,” the world No.2 said.

“For sure, I have to treat Emma as a player that I never played … We both made huge progress since that time that we faced each other.”



While her husband, Monfils, fell short of ensuring both reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park this year, an inspired Elina Svitolina upheld her end of the bargain to set a showdown against American Madison Keys.

A decade after she reached her first Slam semifinal at Melbourne Park, 19th seed Keys has the chance to do so again when she seeks her fourth win in six meetings with the 28th seed.

“This fighting spirit that I have is completely Ukrainian spirit that I try to show, that I try to represent, as well … For sure, for me to find a way to win matches, to find a way to bring a little light, a little win for Ukrainian people is something that I feel I am responsible of,” Svitolina said ahead of her 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal.

“To bring the fight is the least that I can do.”