Defending champion Jannik Sinner has ensured a blockbuster clash with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open semi-finals after he defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets on Wednesday night in Melbourne.
Italian second seed was the master of the match in Rod Laver Arena, easily overcoming the American eighth seed 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to set the record for sixth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances. Sinner has now given up only one set so far in the tournament, showing clearly how threatening he is.
“I feel physically stronger again and I’m moving better day by day,” Sinner said after the match, when he was asked about the challenge of facing Djokovic. “These are the moments you train for. We’re lucky Novak is still playing such incredible tennis.
Sinner’s superiority over Shelton was unquestionable as the Italian has now won eight of the ten meetings between the two players. He came out strong at the beginning of the match and sealed it with an ace even while he was surrounded by a vocal crowd that was supporting the hard-hitting American.
Shelton did fight hard, especially in the third, but his unforced errors came at a bad time and led to Sinner breaking him at the end to finish the match.
The Italian will meet 10-time Melbourne champion Djokovic in the next round. The Serbian moved into the semi-finals as the match between his fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti and him was cut short due to an injury. The other semi-final features world number one Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev.
