Jannik Sinner hits ace record as he wins 18th straight match at Australian Open to reach quarter-finals with victory over Luciano Darderi

Jannik Sinner moved into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-3 7-6(2) victory over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi. The world No. 2 was too good for Darderi as he set up a meeting with eighth seed Ben Shelton in the last eight of the Grand Slam in Melbourne. Stream every match of the 2026 Australian Open live and on-demand on discovery+.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner won his 18th straight match at the Australian Open as he reached the quarter-finals with a straight-sets victory over fellow Italian Luciano Darderi.

Having overcome cramping issues to avoid a shock upset in the previous round, this was a far more serene win for world No. 2 Sinner.

He hit 19 aces - his record for a Grand Slam singles match - despite being pushed to a tie-breaker in the third set, won in just over two hours.

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Asked about his impressive serving, Sinner said: "We put a lot of work especially with the serve, we changed the motion a bit and I feel a little bit more confident.

"I feel like there is still room to improve, which is normal, but I am very happy with how have I come back in the new season, because at the end of last season I served really well and now it’s more stable. 

"It’s not only that area where we try to improve, I try to come to the net a bit more and be slightly more unpredictable, which today I felt like worked really well."

Highlights: Record-breaking Sinner powers through to quarter-finals

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sinner will next play in his ninth straight Grand Slam quarter-final, against eighth seed Ben Shelton, who beat 12th seed Casper Ruud in four sets.

Sinner has won his last eight matches in a row against Shelton, including beating him in the Australian Open semi-finals a year ago.

Darderi was playing in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time and showed signs of frustration as the first two sets quickly got away from him.

He fought hard to stay in the match and had four break points in the ninth game of the third set before saving two match points in the following game.

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He was also 2-0 up in the tie-breaker in the third set but after play was interrupted by a crying baby, lost seven points in a row.

"It was very difficult," added Sinner. "We are very good friends off the court.

"I felt like in the third set I had a couple of break chances and couldn’t use them, and then I got very tight, so I am very happy that I closed it in three sets."

TNT Sports expert Tim Henman said post-match: "[Sinner] had his physical issues in the previous round, so he will be delighted to have got through that match relatively unscathed and his opposition will get tougher and tougher from now on."

Watch crazy moment a baby stops play 'at such an important time' in Sinner v Darderi

Video credit: TNT Sports

Another Italian, Lorenzo Musetti, also reached the quarter-finals as he beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets.

Musetti next faces 10-time champion Novak Djokovic, who had a walkover after opponent Jakub Mensik pulled out due to injury.

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Stream every match of the 2026 Australian Open live and on-demand on discovery+

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