Jannik Sinner continued his charge towards a second consecutive Australian Open title with a win over Tristan Schoolkate.
Having taken home the Australian Open title in 2024, the pressure has been firmly on the Italian number one’s shoulders this time around.
Sinner beat Nicolas Jarry in the first round, a tough test against the Chilean star, who took the two-time Slam winner to a tiebreaker in sets one and two.
In the second round Sinner faced off against Australian Wild Card, Schoolkate, who he beat in four sets.
The 23-year-old dropped the first set, 6-4, against the world number 173, something that one tennis legend thinks could be a blessing in disguise for the ATP Tour’s top-ranked player.
Mats Wilander and Tim Henman think Jannik Sinner dropping a set could aid his Australian Open chances
Speaking to Eurosport after Sinner’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3, victory over Schoolkate, former seven-time Slam winner Mats Wilander explained why the Italian dropping his first set of the tournament could benefit him in the long run.
“I think it’s important,” he said.
“I think it’s a good way to go through a tournament being pushed.
“I don’t think playing five sets is necessarily good but four sets I always thought was good because at some point you were either down or had to come back.
“It’s dangerous when you are winning too easily because there are so many good players these days.”
One of Sinner’s biggest rivals in Melbourne, Novak Djokovic, has dropped a set in each of his opening two matches at this year’s tournament.
On the other hand, three of the world’s top five players, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Taylor Fritz, have all advanced to the third round without dropping a set.
Former British number one Tim Henman, agreed with Wilander and gave his thoughts on how the Italian will be feeling physically ahead of his next match.
“Because [Tristan] Schoolkate came to the net quite a lot – I mean 18 times in the first set – you didn’t feel like the match was that physically demanding,” he said.
“I think in terms of energy levels going forward, Sinner is going to be feeling very, very good.”
Sinner will face off against America’s Marcus Giron in the third round, who has played nine sets on his way to the last 32.
Did Jannik Sinner drop sets in the early rounds before winning the 2024 Australian Open?
Wilander seems to think that the Italian dropping a set could be good for him, but how did he fare in the early rounds last year?
Sinner won the Australian Open in 2024 but dropped just a singular set on his way to the final, where he took down Daniil Medvedev in five.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
| R1 | Botic van de Zandschulp | Won in three sets |
| R2 | Jesper De Jong | Won in three sets |
| R3 | Sebastian Baez | Won in three sets |
| R4 | Karen Khachanov | Won in three sets |
| QF | Andrey Rublev | Won in three sets |
| SF | Novak Djokovic | Won in four sets |
| F | Daniil Medvedev | Won in four sets |
Last year the Italian didn’t drop a set until the semi-finals when he lost the third against ten-time champion Djokovic.
That’s not to say that Sinner doesn’t know how to win a Major after dropping an early set in the tournament, however.
Sinner lost his opening set at the 2024 US Open, against Mackenzie McDonald, but only dropped one more set all tournament, as he claimed his first title at Flushing Meadows.
Only time will tell if Sinner will continue to drop any more sets at this year’s tournament, but he’ll no doubt hope to comfortably make his way through to the fourth round, when he takes on Giron on Saturday, January 18.
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