Sinner, Fritz advance to third round, Osaka battles past Cirstea

Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with straight-set wins, while Naomi Osaka battled past Sorana Cirstea in three sets. Osaka now faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in her bid for a fourth-round spot

Melbourne: World No 2 Jannik Sinner, No 9 Taylor Fritz, and Japanese star Naomi Osaka secured victories in their second-round matches on the fifth day of the Australian Open to move into the third round of the first Grand Slam of the season.

Sinner defeated wild-card entrant James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 49 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena, while Fritz beat Czech Republic’s Vit Kopriva 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4) in one hour and 58 minutes at the John Cain Arena in the night session.

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Osaka, who surprised fans with a striking entry onto the court wearing a veil and carrying a white umbrella in her campaign opener, overcame Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in a close three-setter.

Sinner maintained his steady progress towards a possible third consecutive Australian Open title, demonstrating precise and efficient play. The second seed was unstoppable, extending his perfect 9-0 record against Australian players at Grand Slam tournaments.

The Italian faced little difficulty on serve, saving all three break points, and set up a third-round clash against American Eliot Spizzirri.

Although the start of the year has not been convincing for the former world No 4, Fritz showed his skill on court. He began aggressively, quickly securing the first set, and faced more resistance in the second. Despite Kopriva’s increased intensity, Fritz remained in control.

The former quarter-finalist booked his place in the third round for the third year in a row. Known for his powerful serve, Fritz hit 15 aces compared to Kopriva’s three, converted 79 per cent of his first serves, and broke his opponent four times out of seven chances.

In the women’s draw, Osaka once again needed three sets. Each time she raised her level at the right moments, eventually defeating Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in exactly two hours.

The result was a long-awaited revenge. In 2015, a 17-year-old Osaka made her Grand Slam qualifying debut at Wimbledon against Cirstea, who won 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. They had not met again until this week.

World No 16 Osaka will next face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, the only remaining home player in the women’s draw, as she aims to reach the Australian Open fourth round for the first time since winning the title in 2021.