Jannik Sinner looks to get a step closer to defending his Australian Open title when he faces countryman Luciano Darderi on Monday. Fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti will also be in action against Taylor Fritz.
(2) Jannik Sinner vs. (22) Luciano Darderi
Ordinarily there is little doubt concerning the outcome of a Jannik Sinner fouth-round match at a major. The world No. 2 simply doesn’t lose early. Or, to put a fine point on it, he mostly doesn’t lose to anyone except Carlos Alcaraz in finals. This time, though, there is some doubt. That’s because in his third-round match against Eliot Spizzirri, Sinner was perhaps about two minutes from retiring. He fared poorly in the extreme heat on Saturday and his entire body started cramping. He was saved from an unlikely exit by the extreme heat policy, which went into effect at the most crucial moment of the match. So the question for Monday is: how well will he recover?
Luciano Darderi had a tidy win over Karen Khachanov in the third round. He is playing well, but Sinner is the kind of competitor who will find ways to win even when he is not at 100 percent.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 4
Ricky: Sinner in 3
(5) Lorenzo Musetti vs. (9) Taylor Fritz
This might be the best of a solid lineup of round of 16 matches. In fact, if you’re going to watch, you’ll want to settle in for the ride — because this is going to be a real battle. They are tied 3-3 in the head-to-head series, but Fritz has notably won both of their meetings on hard courts. Musetti’s form so far in Melbourne has actually been a touch better than Fritz’s, but that may be due to the fact that the Italian had to play well to get past Tomas Machac in the third round.
Fritz’s game is better suited to hard courts, while Musetti is a touch better tactically. The Italian’s one-handed backhand, although lovely to watch, can be weakness against a player like Fritz who has monster groundstrokes. I’m giving the American a slight edge, but a Musetti win would hardly be a surprise.
Cheryl pick: Fritz in 5
Ricky pick: Musetti in 5