Jannik Sinner sends Hugo Gaston a heartfelt message after he retired from their match at the Australian Open

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Jannik Sinner has stormed into the Australian Open second round after Hugo Gaston retired from their opening match.

Sinner was happy with his first Australian Open performance against Gaston, who couldn’t continue after one hour and seven minutes of action.

The Italian was leading the Frenchman 6-2, 6-1 at the time, with the latter withdrawing due to illness after receiving medical treatment after the first set.

Sinner now meets James Duckworth in the Australian Open second round, with the Australian having received a wildcard for the tournament.

The Australian Open is the best Grand Slam… discuss!

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Jannik Sinner wishes ‘speedy recovery’ for Hugo Gaston

Duckworth battled past Croatian lucky loser Dino Prizmic in five sets in round one, in stark contrast to Sinner’s short outing in Melbourne.

The ATP number two has now sent a heartfelt message to his round one opponent following his early retirement, having also consoled him on court.

Sharing images of their match, Sinner wrote on Instagram: “Not the way you want to win a match, wishing Hugo a speedy recovery.

“From my side, I’m happy to be back on court, a very special place for me.”

It is indeed a special place for Sinner, who has lifted the Australian Open trophy in each of the last two seasons.

What has been the biggest upset at the Australian Open so far?

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Jannik Sinner chasing Novak Djokovic Australian Open record

Currently occupying second place in the ATP Tour rankings, Sinner is the second seed at this year’s Australian Open.

And while history is very much on his side in Melbourne, he has a long way to go to catch Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian veteran, who is also into the second round, has won the Australian Open title 10 times, more than any other man.

Sinner can, however, match the legendary figure by winning the hard-court tournament for a third successive year.

Djokovic is the only man to achieve that feat in the Open Era, impressively winning three-in-a-row from 2011-2013 and again from 2019-2021.

But the Italian superstar would be wise to take each game as it comes, with Djokovic incidentally representing a potential semifinal opponent for the two-time defending champion.