Jannik Sinner will face Ben Shelton in the second men’s semi-final of the Australian Open, having beaten home favourite Alex De Minaur in the quarters.
Since his slight wobble in the fourth round against Rune, the Italian has looked unstoppable in the Rod Laver Arena. A straight set battering against the home favourite and a top ten opponent is no easy task, but Sinner pushed it aside like it was nothing.
His ice cold demeanour and scintillating ball striking was at its peak against the Australian. When Sinner plays tennis like he has it’s hard to imagine what sort of player could get in the way of him defending his title. Remind you of anyone?
The world number one said this after his matchup with De Minaur: “I feel like today I was feeling everything. On days like this, when you break quite early in each set, it’s a little bit easier. He’s a tough competitor and an amazing player.” – ATP website.
Standing in Sinner’s way is 21st seed, Ben Shelton. The American has faced tough opponents in Lorenzo Musetti, fan favourite Gael Monfils, and Lorenzo Sonego to get him to his first Australian Open semi-final.
Shelton will rely upon his explosive serving to keep him alive in the match. However, Sinner’s recent run of form and aggressive baseline play should give him the edge over Shelton and take him into the final.
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