Australian Open 2026: Jannik Sinner survives extreme heat test

Jannik Sinner has narrowly survived the extreme heat test, thereby defending his early exit from the Australian Open at Melbourne heat.

During the dramatic third set of his match against, the Italian star lost his first set due to cramp-induced breakdown. He was seen limping in the scorching heat at Rod Laver Arena.

As he struggled to walk between points, a turning point came and changed the dynamics of the match. The authorities decided to stop the match, citing that it is impossible to play the match under a blazing heat.

By using the extreme heat policy, they closed the stadium roof for the remainder of the match, followed by the 8-minutes pause in proceedings.

The break helped Sinner to revive his strength and compose himself in the players’ locker room.

Once the temperature settled, the 24-year-old tennis player fought back and won the match with a final score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

“I started to cramp a little bit in the third set, which then, after time, went slowly away. I know my body slightly better now, with a bit of experience, trying to handle certain situations a bit better,” Sinner said

He added, “[I] got lucky today. At the point when they closed the roof — it takes a little bit of time — I tried to loosen up a little bit. It helped.”

The commendable resilience of Sinner against the extreme heat also helped him to keep his Australian Open title defence alive.

The temperature hit 38 degrees Celsius, two below the forecast high. Matches on the outside courts will not resume before 7:15pm AEDT.