Melbourne, Jan 20 (NationPress) Jannik Sinner marked a successful return to the winning side at Melbourne Park on Tuesday after his French rival, Hugo Gaston, had to retire due to injury. Sinner, the two-time defending champion of the Australian Open, established a stronghold with a two sets to none lead during their match at Rod Laver Arena.

The encounter concluded prematurely after just over an hour when Gaston, who is ranked No. 93 in the world, withdrew despite receiving medical assistance. Sinner showcased his dominance early on, clinching the first two sets with scores of 6-2 and 6-1, leaving Gaston visibly upset as he exited the court. Even though the match was short-lived, Sinner reaffirmed his position as a top contender for the title in Melbourne.

The second seed has achieved 15 consecutive victories at Melbourne Park and is in pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive title at the Australian Open. Achieving this milestone would place him alongside Novak Djokovic as only the second man in the Open era to do so. Sinner's next challenge will be against either Dino Prizmic or James Duckworth.

In his post-match interview, Sinner expressed surprise at Gaston's retirement but noted that he had recognized his opponent wasn't playing at full capacity.

“I noticed he wasn’t serving with much pace, especially in the second set, but that’s not how you want to win a match,” Sinner remarked, who has not lost a set in his last 11 matches. “He is an incredibly talented player with amazing touch and movement, so I knew I needed to play at a very high level and remain aggressive, which I accomplished, so I’m pleased,” he added.

“I felt well-prepared. We’ve been working hard on both physical conditioning and on-court skills during the off-season. I had a fantastic practice match with Felix Auger-Aliassime, even if it was just an exhibition, we went all out. Official matches are always a different challenge, and I’m thrilled with how I began today. There was a bit of tension, but now it’s time to enjoy. The hard work is done; we train for moments like this, so I’m delighted to be back,” he stated.

Despite Gaston’s struggles, the match was challenging, and Sinner quickly took command. Aside from an early scare when he faced 0-40, which he escaped with aces, Gaston had limited opportunities. Sinner repeatedly broke serve with powerful baseline shots and precise passing, winning six consecutive games to lead by a set and 2-0. The match remained predominantly one-sided, with Gaston briefly holding serve to avoid a shutout before Sinner closed the match, which lasted just 68 minutes.