Jannik Sinner demonstrated his dominance on the court by defeating Ben Shelton with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, extending his winning streak to 19 matches at the Australian Open. This impressive sequence is only surpassed by his next rival in the semifinals, Novak Djokovic, who has left an indelible mark on this tournament. After Djokovic advanced due to an injury to Lorenzo Musetti, Sinner acknowledged his good fortune in the tournament, especially after overcoming physical problems in the third round. The Italian tennis player achieved a convincing victory against Shelton, marking his third triumph over the American in the last five Grand Slams.
Now, for the third time in four majors, Sinner will face Djokovic in the semifinals. Sinner leads their head-to-head record against Djokovic with a score of 6-4, including victories in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon last year.It’s very difficult to play against Ben. He has a great serve and I feel like he improves a lot every year. I’m very happy with my performance today. I feel like I returned very well today.
Jannik Sinner
Regarding the match against Djokovic, Sinner commented:
Sinner’s strengths, evident against Shelton, will be well known by Djokovic. Shelton, who has struggled against Sinner, has lost all encounters since their first meeting in the fall of 2023, without winning a set in four Grand Slam matches. Shelton’s serve, which can reach speeds of up to 150 mph, faced Sinner’s exceptional return ability. Despite a swift 144 mph service from Shelton, Sinner maintained the pressure during the first set, achieving 18 winners and committing only four unforced errors. Sinner has sought to add variety to his game, including a bold shot that allowed him to break Shelton’s serve for the first time.These are the moments one trains for, gets up in the morning, and hopes to play a good match. We are still lucky to have Novak here playing incredible tennis at his age. I hope it will be a great battle.
Jannik Sinner
Although he didn’t maintain the same level in the following sets, his dominance was never in doubt, suggesting the possibility of a consecutive final against Carlos Alcaraz.
The top four seeds have reached the men’s semi-finals, with Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev facing each other in the other semi-final.
