Sinner and Djokovic Advance to Third Round of Australian Open Tennis

Jannik Sinner (ranked 2nd, Italy) and Novak Djokovic (ranked 4th, Serbia) have both advanced to the third round of the men's singles at the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) shakes hands with his opponent after winning the second round at the Australian Open tennis tournament. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On January 22 in Melbourne, Australia, Sinner dominated James Duckworth (ranked 88th, Australia) in just 1 hour and 49 minutes, winning 3-0 (6-1, 6-4, 6-2) in the men's singles second round on the fifth day of the tournament. Having won this tournament for two consecutive years, Sinner will face Eliot Spizzirri (ranked 85th, United States) in the third round.

If Sinner continues his winning streak, he is likely to meet Djokovic in the semifinals. Earlier, Djokovic defeated Francesco Maestrelli (ranked 141st, Italy) 3-0 (6-3, 6-2, 6-2). Aiming to reclaim the Australian Open title for the first time in three years since 2023, Djokovic achieved his 399th main draw singles victory at a Grand Slam tournament with this win, setting the all-time record for most wins among both men and women.

With his first-round victory at this year's tournament, Djokovic reached 100 career wins at the Australian Open. If he wins in the third round, he will tie Roger Federer's (retired, Switzerland) record for most main draw men's singles wins at the Australian Open (102 wins). Having achieved 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Djokovic would become the first player ever, male or female, to reach 25 Grand Slam singles titles if he wins this tournament.

Djokovic will face Botic van de Zandschulp (ranked 75th, Netherlands) for a spot in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, in the women's singles, Iga Swiatek (ranked 2nd, Poland) defeated Marie Bouzkova (ranked 44th, Czech Republic) 2-0 (6-2, 6-3) to reach the third round. Naomi Osaka (ranked 17th, Japan) also advanced by overcoming Sorana Cirstea (ranked 41st, Romania) 2-1 (6-3, 4-6, 6-2) on the same day. Swiatek will face Anna Kalinskaya (ranked 32nd, Russia), while Osaka will play Madison Inglis (ranked 168th, Australia) in the third round. If both win, they will meet in the round of 16.