Luciano Darderi vs Jannik Sinner Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | Round of 16
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Luciano Darderi faces Jannik Sinner at the 2026 Australian Open.
Start date/time:
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor hard
How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel
Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Luciano Darderi vs Jannik Sinner ticket information
Luciano Darderi vs Jannik Sinner prediction
Jannik Sinner will hope for less drama when he resumes his bid for an Australian Open 'Threepeat' against Luciano Darderi.
The two-time defending champion looked to be heading for the exit as he cramped at 4-6 6-3 1-3 down in sizzling temperatures against Eliot Spizzirri.
However, a delay as a result of the tournament’s ‘Extreme Heat Policy’ gave the second seed the chance to recover and he clawed his way to a 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory.
The four-time major winner will be relieved that the weather is forecast to settle in the days ahead and that should reignite his title defence as he targets an 18th straight win at the event in his first ever meeting with his compatriot, Darderi.
The 22nd seed has been a surprise package so far in Melbourne given his lack of previous success on hardcourts. However, any lingering doubts of his capability on the surface were extinguished in an eye-catching third round win over Karen Khachanov.
The match-up and Sinner’s desire to show the Italian public he remains very much the country’s top dog make this an obvious pick for him to prevail in straight sets with a minimal amount of games dropped.
That bet didn’t pay off against Spizzirri and it remains to be seen how well Sinner recovers between matches. Temperatures are set to be more in his comfort zone and he'll also have benefitted from a day off, so it’ll all come down to how strong he feels on the day. We expect him to be keen to make a statement after the scare and that should be bad news for Luciano.
Luciano Darderi vs Jannik Sinner tip: Under 33.5 games
