Jannik Sinner will meet Alexander Zverev for the men’s singles title at the Australian Open in Melbourne, after the Italian defeated Ben Shelton in the second semifinal on Friday.
Sinner secured a straight-sets win, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, 6-2, to move into the title match, which will be played on Sunday.
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In the first semifinal, second-seeded German Zverev progressed to the final following Novak Djokovic’s injury-forced withdrawal.
Despite facing two set-points in a close first set, Sinner prevailed in the tiebreak and subsequently dominated the 22-year-old American, completing the match in just over 2-1/2 hours at Rod Laver Arena, despite experiencing cramps towards the end.
Earlier, spectators at the centre court were left disappointed when Djokovic concluded his match against Zverev after dropping the first set, ending his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam title.
The 37-year-old Serbian player, with heavy strapping on his upper left leg, departed the court amidst some jeers from the crowd.
Sinner, meanwhile, is now a step away from defending his first Grand Slam title, following his victory in Melbourne last year.
Ahead of the semifinal, he held a strong record against the dynamic American, having won four out of their five previous encounters.
The Italian’s performance wavered in the first set, losing his serve on two occasions and requiring considerable effort to save two set points when Shelton served at 6-5. However, the 23-year-old dominated the tiebreak decisively, securing the first set after 71 minutes.
He secured an early break against Shelton at the beginning of the second set and completed it swiftly in 42 minutes.
Shelton demonstrated remarkable energy in the third set, unleashing powerful forehand winners while running as he attempted to change the momentum.
Despite visible discomfort from what appeared to be cramp or groin issues, Sinner successfully defended two break points. When Shelton lost his serve to fall behind 3-2, Sinner swiftly closed out the match.
