Melbourne, Jan 28 (IANS) World No. 2 Jannik Sinner strengthened his case for a third successive Australian Open title and made his way into the final four after defeating local favourite Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday to extend his win streak to 19 matches at Melbourne Park.
The two-time defending champion extended his winning streak to nine consecutive victories and 22 straight sets against the formidable lefty, setting up Friday’s semifinals match against Novak Djokovic.
In his ninth Grand Slam semi-final and third at the Australian Open, the four-time major champion faces a major challenge against record 10-time winner Novak Djokovic. Sinner has previously beaten Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Australian Open (2024), Roland Garros (2025), and Wimbledon (2025), ATP reports.
Shelton only lost one set en route to his third Australian Open quarter-final. However, like their previous matches, he found it difficult to play his best against the Italian.
Sinner targeted Shelton’s backhand, pressured him on the forehand side, and controlled play from the baseline, improving his lead against the American to 9-1. They have now faced off four times in major tournaments, with Sinner winning all four, including twice in Australia and twice at Wimbledon.
Shelton’s serve was less effective than he expected, while Sinner responded excellently in the first two sets. When they played baseline exchanges, it was usually the Italian who came out on top.
It was an evening filled with intrigue. Despite the lopsided score, from the end of the second set, four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner showed signs of physical vulnerability.
Sinner dominated the first set, ending with an 18–4 edge in winners to unforced errors, and carried this strength into the second. The pressure on Shelton increased as he struggled to find a consistent rhythm and faltered at key moments. He missed all three break points he had in the set and made 17 more unforced errors, letting Sinner extend his lead.
The No. 2 seed, who seemed to struggle physically towards the end of the second set, secured the decisive break in the ninth game of the third set when Shelton double-faulted at 15/40.
The 24-year-old seemed low on energy for a little while, which led to a slight dip in the quality and intensity of his tennis. However, the Italian regained his form, broke late in the third set and finished on serve to secure another straight-sets victory after two hours and 25 minutes.
–IANS
vi/
