Sinner Sets Up Semi-Final Clash with Shelton at Australian Open

Jannik Sinner powered past Alex De Minaur to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, where he'll face American Ben Shelton, who edged Lorenzo Sonego.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner delivered a dominant performance to crush Australian hopes, defeating Alex De Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 in their Australian Open quarter-final clash on Wednesday. The 23-year-old Italian world number one showed no signs of the illness that had hindered him in his previous match, moving freely and displaying no discomfort on a cooler Melbourne day.

Sinner's victory sets up a semi-final encounter with American Ben Shelton, who battled past Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 to reach the Melbourne Park last four for the first time. Shelton, seeded 21, will face a formidable challenge against the defending champion, who has been in impressive form throughout the tournament.

The writing was on the wall for De Minaur, given Sinner's impressive head-to-head record against him. Sinner had won all nine of their previous meetings, and had also triumphed in all 20 of his last matches against Australian opponents. De Minaur had been given a glimmer of hope after Sinner battled illness in his last-16 clash, where he admitted he was “not there health-wise” and had been “a bit dizzy at times” in the hot weather.

However, Sinner showed no evidence of those issues on a much cooler quarter-final day, moving freely and displaying no discomfort. His dominant performance was a testament to his impressive form and fitness, and he will now face Shelton in the semi-finals as he bids to defend his Australian Open title.

In front of a patriotic home crowd, Jannik Sinner broke for a 3-1 lead after a grueling 24-shot baseline rally. The agile Italian's powerful ball-striking proved difficult for Alex De Minaur to counter, and the Australian struggled to create chances, managing just four winners in the opening set.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Sinner dominating De Minaur, pushing him around at will, and breaking immediately to take control. A forehand winner earned him a second break, securing the second set in 40 minutes. De Minaur was left shaking his head, wondering what to do.

De Minaur tried everything but had no answers, broken twice in the third set after a series of errors as Sinner powered to a 3-0 lead. Sinner is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. He is also seeking to become the first Italian man to win three Grand Slam crowns, having also won the US Open last year.

Sinner's next opponent will be Ben Shelton, who demonstrated his potential by reaching his first semi-final at the US Open in 2023, where he was beaten by eventual champion Novak Djokovic. The American came through a tough encounter with Lorenzo Sonego, dominated by booming serves, including one monstrous ace that clocked in at 232kph (144mph), the joint-fastest serve of the tournament.

Shelton had the edge for the first two sets but suffered a mid-match wobble before rallying to come through a tense fourth-set tiebreak. After his win, Shelton expressed his relief and said he wasn't worried about who he played next. “If it is the home favourite Alex de Minaur, then 100 per cent, you can boo me, throw stuff at me. I understand,” Shelton told the crowd. “If it is the world number one, probably the same thing, but I've got a few people in the crowd who will be pulling for me too.”

Shelton added, “I feel so relieved right now. Shout out Lorenzo Sonego, that was some ridiculous tennis.” With his semi-final spot secured, Shelton will face Sinner on Friday, eager to test his skills against the defending champion.