MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner warned Saturday he was getting better the deeper he went at the Australian Open after powering into the last 16 with an impressive straight-sets victory.
The Italian world number one dropped a set for the first time in 14 matches in his second-round clash against Australian wildcard Tristan Schoolkate.
But there were no such wobbles against the unseeded American Marcos Giron on Rod Laver Arena as he emphatically sprinted home 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in 2hrs 1min, slamming 35 winners and eight aces.
“For sure the first goal was to get in the second week. I’m very happy to be here again,” said Sinner, who also won the US Open and ATP Finals among eight titles last year.
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“It felt like today was maybe the best match in the way of how I tried to play. I still made some mistakes, but it’s okay. I felt like I was hitting the ball a little bit better than in the previous rounds.
“So I’m quite happy. Of course I want to raise my level in the next round match.”
Awaiting him is Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic or Danish 13th seed Holger Rune, who will face a player on a 17-match win streak.
That record stretches back to a defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing in October.
“I felt like today I was still missing some shots, but in a positive way,” Sinner added.
“I went for shots. I tried to make some serve and volleys, some dropshots, trying to have a good feel with the court.
“When you play good, you realise that you’re playing some good tennis, which gives you then also a very calm mindset, knowing that today it might be a good day.”
The 23-year-old, who is defending a Grand Slam title for the first time after his five-set win against Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final, asserted his authority immediately against Giron.
He broke him on his first service game and that proved sufficient to take the set despite making 11 unforced errors, two more than Giron.
The top seed bided his time in set two before making his move in the fifth game, working two break points and taking a 3-2 lead when Giron slapped a forehand wide.
The American, who was bidding to reach the last 16 at a Grand Slam for the first time, had no answers as Sinner dominated the rallies.
A Sinner backhand winner earned him another break to move 2-0 clear in the third set and it all looked to be over.
But the plucky Giron, ranked 46, still had some fight left and broke for the first time in the match to level up at 2-2.
That riled up the Italian, who broke straight back and made no more mistakes in winning the next four games on his way to a ruthless victory.
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