Australian Open: Sinner Crushes De Minaur, Sets Up Semifinal Clash with Shelton
MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner put any illness worries to bed by crushing home hope Alex de Minaur in a straight-sets rout to tee up an Australian Open semifinal against Ben Shelton.
Sinner’s Dominant Performance
The Italian world No 1 showed no signs of the health issues that hampered him in his last match to emphatically fly past the eighth seed 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena. He will meet stubborn American Shelton for a place in Sunday’s final against either 10-time champion Novak Djokovic or second seed Alexander Zverev.
Shelton’s Upset Victory
Shelton, seeded 21, battled past another Italian, the unseeded Lorenzo Sonego, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7/4) to make the Melbourne Park last four for the first time. The writing was on the wall for de Minaur with Sinner winning all nine of their previous meetings.
Sinner’s Recovery
The Italian showed no evidence of any problems on a much cooler quarterfinal day. "Yesterday was a very easy day. I played just half an hour, 40 minutes with my coaches," Sinner said when asked about how he was feeling. "Talking about general physical (condition), you know, I feel like, especially when you are young, you recover very fast."
Sinner’s Dominant Serve
In front of a patriotic home crowd, he broke for a 3-1 lead after a draining 24-shot baseline rally. The agile Sinner’s big ball-striking proved hard for the Australian to counter and de Minaur struggled to create chances, managing just four winners in the opening set.
Shelton’s Potential
Shelton, a year younger at 22, will be awaiting him on Friday. "Obviously he is one of the best servers on tour, a lefty … so hopefully I’m ready, hopefully I can return as many serves as possible and then try to stay very concentrated about my game, like today, stay aggressive," said Sinner.
Conclusion
Sinner is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. He also won the US Open last year. Shelton, on the other hand, demonstrated his potential by reaching his first semifinal at the US Open in 2023, where he was beaten by eventual champion Djokovic.
FAQs
Q: How did Sinner perform in his quarterfinal match against de Minaur?
A: Sinner crushed de Minaur in a straight-sets rout, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.
Q: Who will Sinner face in the semifinals?
A: Sinner will face Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Q: How did Shelton perform in his quarterfinal match against Sonego?
A: Shelton battled past Sonego in a tough encounter, winning 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7/4).