Jannik Sinner struggled with heat and cramping in his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri in the 2026 Australian Open. He lost the first set and he was losing his shape in the third set. Down 3-1, Sinner was saved by the heat index reaching 5 as the roof was shut down. As a result, the Italian got the much-needed breather in those eight minutes and he returned in style to win the match.
On Monday, Sinner advanced into the quarterfinals by beating fellow Italian Luciano Darderi in straight sets to set up a date with Ben Shelton. After the match, Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill confirmed that even though the player was offered the night schedule due to Jakub Mensik’s withdrawal, Sinner was happy with his match being scheduled when it was.
“We did not request a night session yesterday,” Cahill said. “We could have been moved to the night session when it was. Mensik pulled out, and it was offered to Jannik to move to that second night slot. And he was quite happy with the schedule when it came out that he was on here not before 6 p.m. on MCA.
“So we just stuck to the schedule. No problem whatsoever for Jannik playing in this stadium. He’s looking forward to it, up against a really tough opponent.”
Cahill also admitted that he made the Italian aware about the kind of challenge America’s Eliot Spizzerri might pose against him.
“And it must be said, I did say to Jannik before that match a couple of days ago that this one against Elliott was going to be incredibly tough,” Cahill added. “You need to treat this guy like he’s a top-10 player. I’ve had the chance to watch him over the last 12 months. He’s played a bunch of young Aussies on the Challenger Tour. I’ve seen him come through, I’ve seen him play a lot, and he’s a kid with a big future. And we got a glimpse of that the other night. So, well done to Elliott as well.”
Jannik Sinner’s Coach Extended For Another Season
Jannik Sinner and Darren Cahill were supposed to go their separate ways after the end of the 2025 season. However, the association had such a good run last season that they decided to continue for another season.
“Yeah, it’s great,” he said. “We had a nice talk at the end of the year, last year. It’s great to share at least one more season with him.”
With Cahill, Sinner won two Grand Slams and also the year-end ATP Finals title, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the end. Having Cahill in his corner will fill the Italian with confidence as he looks forward to defending the Australian Open title.
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