Sinner, Osaka through to the third round at Australian Open

Sinner, Osaka through to the third round at Australian OpenDefending champion Jannik Sinner wins easily against James Duckworth while Naomi Osaka overcomes Sorana ‍Cirstea.Published On 22 Jan 2026Two-time defending ‌champion Jannik Sinner has outclassed home wildcard James Duckworth 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 ‍to stroll into ‍the third round of the Australian Open.The Italian world number two was in no mood on Thursday for an extended shift on a cool Rod Laver Arena as he set up a last-32 clash with ⁠American Eliot Spizzirri.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Novak Djokovic mows down qualifier Maestrelli at Australian Openlist 2 of 3Liverpool beat Marseille to climb to fourth in Champions League tablelist 3 of 3Barcelona avoid blip in Prague to maintain Champions League top eight hopeend of listIt was Sinner’s 27th successive tour-level victory against Australian players, his ​last defeat against one coming against Duckworth in Toronto in 2021.But ‍a repeat of that outcome never looked likely as Sinner produced an immaculate display from the back of the court.“Every match is difficult. So happy to be in the next round,” Sinner, ‍who has ⁠won his last 12 matches without dropping a set, said on court. “Very happy with my performance.“I know how much work I’ve put in, so the body feels good and the mind is in a good moment.”From the moment he drilled a backhand winner into the corner to break Duckworth’s serve in the fourth game, he was in control and was ​gifted a second service break with a double fault.Sinner claimed ‌the first set in 26 minutes, and although Duckworth offered more resistance in the second with some aggressive play, the Italian’s controlled power and placement was too much for his 34-year-old opponent.A forehand ‌winner earned him a break point at 3-3, and Duckworth blazed wildly long as the pressure told.Duckworth’s winners were ‌loudly applauded by the evening crowd, but the ⁠end came quickly, and Sinner finished it off with an ace – his 18th of the match.