Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame an early test against American Ben Shelton to reach his second straight Australian Open final, winning 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2.
World No. 1 Sinner has now reached three consecutive finals in hard court grand slams after winning the US Open and Australian Open last season, further cementing his status as the tour’s dominant player on the surface.
Both men dealt with leg injuries during the match and needed medical attention; Shelton, appearing in just his second grand slam semifinal, had some particularly aggressive massaging done on his thigh several times.
After losing his first match against the 22-year-old American at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, Sinner has now won five in a row against Shelton.
“It was a very tough first set but a very crucial one, and I felt like he was serving not at his best today,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I think we both returned better than we served and first sets are always very important, it gives you a bit of confidence.
“There was a bit of tension for both of us, but I’m very happy with how I handled the situation.”
Sinner said the tension led to him suffering from “small cramps” during the match, and he was fidgety during the interview as he tried to keep his legs moving.
“He was also suffering a bit on his leg today, so I tried moving him around and staying a little bit more aggressive, which helped a lot,” Sinner said. “These matches can go very, very long, so I’m happy to finish in three sets today.”
Shelton got off to a blistering start, breaking Sinner in the opening game. The 23-year-old Italian soon broke back to make it 2-2, but Shelton looked to have secured the deciding break in the set to go 6-5 ahead and give himself a chance to serve out.
However, Shelton squandered two set points to allow Sinner to break back and take the set to a tie break, which the Italian won with ease.
From there, the match became considerably more lopsided. Two early breaks of serve in the second helped Sinner cruise to a commanding 2-0 lead.
Shelton made the third set more of a fight, but failed to convert any of the three break points he earned over two of Sinner’s service games. It proved to be the decisive moment of the match, as Sinner broke Shelton twice in a row to put the contest to bed.
Sinner will now face Alexander Zverev, who is aiming to win his first grand slam, in Sunday’s final after Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw with injury in Friday’s first semifinal.
“It will be a tough match,” Sinner said. “We’ve had some very tough matches in the past. Everything can happen.
“He’s an incredible player. He’s looking for his first major. There’s again going to be a lot of tension, but I’m happy to put myself in this position again. Sundays in tournaments are very, very special days, so I’m going to enjoy it.”
Source: edition.cnn.com