When Jannik Sinner plays at the Australian Open: background with Hugo Gaston
Jannik Sinner is preparing for his Australian Open debut where he will defend his title. The world and seeding number two, in his first official match in 2026, will make his debut against Frenchman Hugo Gaston, number 93 in the ATP rankings, who, on the other hand, has already played two tournaments: the Brisbane ATP 250 and the Auckland ATP 250.
The match between the Blue and the Frenchman will open the program of the evening session at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The match is set no earlier than 09:00 a.m. Italian time (7 p.m. local time), then it will be Naomi Osaka’s turn against Antonia Ruzic.
There are two previous matches between Sinner and Gaston, and both smile on the South Tyrolean: Jannik beat the transalpine in two sets (6-4 6-1) in the round of 16 of the Marseille 2021 ATP 250 and repeated shortly thereafter in the second round of the Miami Masters 1000 (6-2 6-2).
Sinner goes in the hunt for a third consecutive Australian Open. A trio that has succeeded, in the tournament’s history, only to three tennis players: Jack Crawford (from 1931 to 1933), Roy Emerson (winner for five editions in a row, from 1963 to 1967) and Novak Djokovic. The Serbian has made it a hat trick twice in Melbourne: from 2011 to 2013 and from 2019 to 2021. By winning the tournament, the world number two would also avert Carlos Alcaraz’s chance to complete the Grand Slam (the Spaniard has never won the Australian Open).
