At the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner faces Australian sensation Alex de Minaur in the men’s singles, while Iga Swiatek hopes to maintain her dominant campaign in the women’s draw.
With the exception of a mid-game incident against Holder Rune when he seemed to be experiencing the shakes, Jannik Sinner has so far appeared composed and in control. Now, in the round of eight, he will face Alex de Minaur, the last Australian remaining in the men’s or women’s draw. This will surely test Sinner’s skills and composure as he will battle against an Australian home crowd favourite.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek has been in great form. She has lost only four games in her past three matches and has handed out three bagels, which shows how dominant she has been in this year’s Australian Open.
She is now up against Emma Navarro in her bid to make the last four. Navarro, the 23-year-old American, has battled three-setters in each of her four matches thus far.
Here is the quarter-final schedule for the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena:
00:30
- Madison Keys (19) vs. Elina Svitolina (28)
Not before 2 am
- Emma Navarro (8) vs. Iga Swiatek (2)
Not before 3:30 am
- Ben Shelton (21) vs. Lorenzo Sonego
From 8:30 am
- Jannik Sinner (1) vs. Alex de Minaur (8)
Sinner and Swiatek’s doping issues
Jannik Sinner tested positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol. The athlete claimed that his physiotherapist’s treatments had been accidentally contaminated with a substance called clostebol, and this might be the cause of his positive test results. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared he was not at fault, and he managed to avoid penalties from competition so far.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced last year that Polish athlete Iga Swiatek had agreed to a one-month suspension after testing positive for an illegal substance. She tested positive for a prohibited drug called trimetazidine, which reportedly contaminated her melatonin medication.
Source: Eurosport