Australian Open 2025 Day 9 Recap


Day nine of the 2025 Australian Open wasn’t memorable. Fans only experienced physical woes in the heat, retirements, and generally low-quality play, completing the fourth round without any of the eight matches involving a five-setter.

The best match of the day was between Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, yet even that match had only a few moments of real quality. Sinner overcame illness and progressed in four sets – 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Ben Shelton took out Gael Monfils after the 38-year-old was forced to retire at the start of the fourth set, while Learner Tien also struggled in the heat as he lost to Lorenzo Sonego.

In the night match on RLA, home hope Alex de Minaur moved into the last eight, winning the first eight games against Alex Michelsen, who struggled to settle into the match en route to a 6-0 7-6(5) 6-3 victory.

Day Nine 2025 Australian Open Round of 16 Results

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Winner Loser Scoreline
Jannik Sinner (1) Holger Rune (13) 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2
Alex de Minaur (8) Alex Michelsen 6-0 7-6(5) 6-3
Ben Shelton (21) Gael Monfils 7-6(3) 6-7(3) 7-6(2) 1-0  RET
Lorenzo Sonego Learner Tien (Q) 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-1

Sinner Survives Rune

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While the score looks straightforward, Jannik Sinner had to deal with some strange physical struggles to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday, defeating Holger Rune 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The defending champion said he had to consult a tournament doctor before the match, skipped practice, and opted to play at the last minute.

When I saw him limping, I assumed it was his hip, but he later clarified that it was purely illness: “Sometimes I walk a little differently when I’m not feeling great, but I’m not injured,” he explained.

Rune, who had a tough five-setter in his previous round, showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately faltered when his own movement dropped off a cliff for a good chunk of the match.

Sinner, on the other hand, seemed to be on the brink of collapse at various points during the match, only to rally and find his footing in the final sets.

The match was somewhat disjointed, so it wasn’t great viewing. Sinner took an 11-minute medical timeout (MTO) before Rune’s serve in the third set, which some saw as a ploy to disrupt his opponent’s momentum, as the Dane was playing well.

Rune then took a medical timeout before Sinner served for the third set, seemingly to get back at his opponent.  After that, Sinner accidentally broke the net, causing a 20-minute delay ????

Despite the drama, the tennis was high quality in parts, with both players displaying impressive skills (check the 37-shot rally in the highlights).

We essentially saw there’s a gulf in class between the two. Rune has an uncanny ability to come back from adversity, but he can also go walkabout and tends to lose focus and make silly mistakes.

Sinner doesn’t – he’s rock steady and dominated with 83% first-serve points won compared to Rune’s 66%.

I think we saw that today I was struggling physically. Came here as late as possible. I knew that it was going to be very, very difficult today. You know, playing against a tough opponent, but also playing against myself a little bit. When I’m not feeling well on court, sometimes I tend to walk a little bit on the left. But, no, injury-wise, I have nothing. Just health-wise a little bit struggling, but I’m good with injuries. Of course, the time of the court with me and the doctor, we talked a little bit. It helped me today, and it also shows that this tournament has great organisation. Sinner on his physical woes.

De Minaur Downs Michelsen

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Alex de Minaur is into his fourth Grand Slam quarter-final in a row, and his first in Australia thanks to a 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over Alex Michelsen.

I didn’t fancy Michelsen’s style to pose too many problems for the Aussie and he dominated the start, winning the first eight games of the match to really set the tone.

Michelsen looked shaky but settled towards the end of the second set, breaking back when De Minaur was serving for a two-set lead.

It could have gone the American’s way in a tight tie-break, but De Minaur took full advantage when Michelsen errored down set point. He then sealed the third set with seven unforced errors to cruise through.

De Minaur must overcome Sinner if he’s to be the first Australian to make the semi-finals in Melbourne since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.  Sinner leads their Head2Head 9-0, having not lost a set in any previous meetings.

Other Matches of Note

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Ben Shelton is through to his second Australian Open quarter-final after Gael Monfils was forced to retire.

Shelton led 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 1-0 after 2 hours, 56 minutes when Monfils, on an eight-match win streak, struggled with physical issues. 

For all the plaudits around Monfils, he has 28  career mid-match retirements, which is a crazy high number.

Monfils used a game plan similar to the one he employed vs. Fritz by mixing up his shots. However, Shelton is more comfortable in the forecourt and can respond more aggressively when striking the ball

Shelton will now look to surpass his 2023 quarter-final run when he faces Lorenzo Sonego, who defeated Learner Tien 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Tien also struggled physically against the dangerous Sonego, who should be a decent test for Shelton.

However, despite his win over Tien, the Italian has a 5-6 losing record against the lefties, so I pick Shelton in 4.

Australian Open Day 10 Quarter Final Matches

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  • Noval Djokovic (7) vs Carlos Alcaraz (3)
  • Tommy Paul (12) vs Alexander Zverev (2)



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