Defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner cruised into the third round of the ongoing tournament after early struggles against Tristan Schoolkate of Australia on Thursday (Jan 16). The Italian, who was in the headlines for the wrong reasons in the build up to the tournament, registered a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 win as he looks to keep his hunt for glory. Sinner will now face Marcos Giron in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday.

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Sinner into next round

Having tested positive for the dope test, Sinner was under pressure heading into the Australian Open 2025. On Thursday, he showed nerves in the early parts of the match as he dropped the opening set 4-6. However, there was no messing around for the Italian, as he completed his comeback and won the next three sets to book his place in the next round.

Sinner made poor unforced errors during the opening set, which had him on the back foot. However, 77 per cent of first serves saw a swift comeback into the contest as the Italian won the match.

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Earlier, former Wimbledon women’s singles champion Elena Rybakina reached the third round of the Australian Open 2025 as she continued her hunt for the title Down Under. Runner-up in 2023, Rybakina is seeded sixth and got the better of Iva Jovic of the United States 6-0, 6-3. The win sees her take another step towards the Australian Open title, having shown her class on the court. The day also saw former French Open champion Iga Swiatek book her place in the next round after a dominating win.

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Swiatek raced past world number 49 Rebecca Sramkova 6-0, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena while Britain's Raducanu was entering uncharted waters on the nearby Kia Arena. Raducanu had reached the second round in Melbourne on three previous occasions but never advanced further. She was forced to battle in a topsy-turvy match against her good friend Amanda Anisimova, both players exchanging multiple breaks before she came through 6-3, 7-5.