Two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner kicked off his bid for a rare three-peat after getting a walkover in his round 1 against Hugo Gaston at the Australian Open 2026 on Tuesday, January 20. Sinner, the World No.2, had bagged two sets 6-2, 6-1 at the Rod Laver Arena before Guston retired due to illness at the end of the second set.
Sinner broke the Frenchman four times in the game and had a superb win percentage of 86 on his first serve, while his second serve win percentage dropped a bit to 50.
Meanwhile, Sinner has joined an elusive list of players after winning his opening match in the Australian Open 2026. The 24-year-old Italian has become just the fourth player since 2000 to win 15 consecutive matches in Melbourne, joining an elite list featuring the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi.
Sinner took a bit more time warming up as he was 0-40 down on his serve in the first game. But the two-time defending champions stormed back to save all three break points and did not face any of that further.
He broke his opponent twice, including in the eighth game, to take the opening set 6-2. Gaston received some medical treatment at the end of the first set. Sinner was 2-0 up and then 4-0 after breaking Gaston twice, and bagged the second set 6-1 before Gaston retired.
Sinner consoled his opponent and praised him after the match. “I saw he was not serving with very high pace, especially in the second set. It’s not the way you want to win the match,” Sinner told TNT Sports after the match.
“But he’s such a talented player, he has incredible touch and moves well. I knew from the beginning I needed to play high-level tennis and try to be as aggressive as possible, which I have done,” he added.
The Italian World No.2 was pleased by the start of his defence. “I felt very well prepared. We worked a lot physically and on the court. I’m very happy with how I started off today. There was a bit of tension, but now it’s time to enjoy. The hard work is done. We practice for moments like this,” he said.
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