Jannik Sinner is on track to defend his Australian Open title after reaching the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Sinner beat Holger Rune in four sets to continue his dominance on hard courts after winning both the Australian Open and US Open last year.
This enabled the Italian to make history, with Sinner matching a John McEnroe record after his 18th consecutive win at a hard court major.
The world number one will now play Alex de Minaur, who he has a very positive head-to-head against.
Sam Querrey and Jack Sock disagree over Alex de Minaur and Jannik Sinner
Sinner has a dominant head-to-head against De Minaur, having won all nine of their previous meetings.
This includes a straight sets victory over the world number eight at the Australian Open three years ago.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2019 | Next Gen ATP Finals (F) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 4-2 4-1 4-2 |
| 2020 | Sofia Open (QF) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6(3)-7 6-4 6-1 |
| 2022 | Australian Open (R16) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4 |
| 2022 | Madrid Open (R32) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6-4 6-1 |
| 2023 | Canadian Open (F) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6-4 6-1 |
| 2023 | Davis Cup Finals (F) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6-3 6-0 |
| 2024 | Rotterdam Open (F) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 7-5 6-4 |
| 2024 | ATP Finals (RR) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6-3 6-4 |
| 2024 | Davis Cup Finals (SF) | Sinner beat De Minaur, 6-3 6-4 |
With this in mind, former world number 11 Sam Querrey spoke on his Nothing Major Podcast about how he can only see Sinner winning their Australian Open quarter-final.
“Assuming Sinner is healthy, and I hate to say this, but no,” said Querrey. “He is going to have the crowd behind him, I hope it’s a match, I hope he can pull off an upset but what does he do better than Sinner? I feel like Sinner does everything a little better than Alex. He is 0-9.
“It is such an uphill battle for Alex. The crowd just has to come out in full force and will him to a win if it happens but assuming Sinner is healthy, I don’t think there is a chance for anyone in the top half. Just pencil him into the final.”
Does Jannik Sinner have fitness concerns heading into his match with Alex de Minaur?
There are some concerns heading into the upcoming quarter-final, with Sinner taking a lengthy medical timeout in his match against Rune.
Sinner even admitted to not warming up, after having a ‘strange’ feeling in the lead up to his fourth round at the Australian Open.
This is something that four-time Grand Slam doubles winner Jack Sock was considering when giving a contrasting opinion to Querrey, backing De Minaur to challenge Sinner in-front of his home crowd.
“I do think he [Sinner] is struggling with something,” responded Sock. “I think when you are number one in the world and you don’t warm up before the match you play, there is obviously something going on. I think we are going to get De Minaur’s best tennis.
“The crowd is going to be crazy for him. I actually think he has a chance of winning that match, based on the set of circumstances going on right now. I wouldn’t be surprised actually, if Demon won that or it’s very close.”
Sinner and De Minaur will play their Australian Open quarter-final in the first night session match on Wednesday January 22.
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