One champion said farewell, one tied a record and another was tested in an action-packed day in the men’s draw Saturday at the Australian Open.
Stan Wawrinka, who won the first of his three career Grand Slam titles in Melbourne in 2014, lost his third-round match to No. 9 Taylor Fritz 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. The 40-year-old from Switzerland, who has announced he will retire after the 2026 season, stayed on court at John Cain Arena to take in the appreciation from the crowd.
He and tournament director Craig Tiley toasted Wawrinka’s finale with a beer on the court.
Wawrinka was the oldest man to reach the third round in Australia since Ken Rosewall in 1978.
“My mindset was what I have been saying: I’m not doing the year to just say goodbye in tournaments,” Wawrinka said in a news conference after the match. “It’s my last year, so of course when I’m going to lose in a tournament, it’s going to be a goodbye for this tournament, but my mindset is still a competitor and I always want to push myself.
“I’m trying to find the balance between competitor, trying to win, but in the same time enjoying those moments with the fans, with the atmosphere. And here it was more than I could expect with the support. Every match was something really special, and I really appreciate that.”
The champion who tied a record was 10-time winner Novak Djokovic, who with his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) triumph over Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands tallied his 102nd win at the Australian Open, matching Roger Federer. He also became the first man to win his 400th match at a major, moving to 400-55. Federer is second with 369 victories.
The No. 4 seed, Djokovic will try for his 103rd win in Melbourne against Czech Jakub Mensik, the No. 16 seed, who topped Ethan Quinn 6-2, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). Djokovic is two wins away from a potential semifinal duel with Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion.
At 38, Djokovic isn’t about to concede to the game’s top players, the 24-year-old Sinner, of Italy, or 22-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.
“Obviously Alcaraz and Sinner are the two best players in the world,” the Serbian great said. “They’re playing at a different level than all of us right now, but when you enter the court and the ball rolls, you always have a chance, particularly here on the court that has given me the most in my career.”
Sinner is the champ who barely advanced. Playing in the oppressive heat, Sinner was trailing unheralded American Eliot Spizzirri in the third set and experiencing debilitating cramps in his arms and legs. But after play was suspended for about 10 minutes and the roof closed at Rod Laver Arena, Sinner rallied to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win on Saturday to reach the fourth round.
The suspension was prompted by the tournament’s extreme heat policy. When the chair umpire made the announcement, Spizzirri was up 3-1 in the third set. The players left the court, and the roof was shut.
“I struggled a bit physically,” Sinner said after closing out the win. “I got lucky with the heat rule, when they closed the roof, I took my time. As time passed, I felt better and better.”
Fifth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy went the distance against Czech Tomas Machac and prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in a match that took four hours, 27 minutes. He will face Fritz in the fourth round.
Another Italian, No. 22 Luciano Darderi, pulled off a minor upset of No. 15 Karen Khachanov of Russia. Darderi prevailed 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and will meet Sinner in the next round.
Eighth-seeded Ben Shelton of the United States defeated Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (5). Shelton saved the lone break point he faced in the match, and he converted two of his four break chances.
Shelton’s next opponent is No. 12 Casper Ruud of Norway, who defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
–Field Level Media
