New Delhi: Defending champion Jannik Sinner displyed ominous form in his 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Alex Di Minaur in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The World No.1 defeated the eight seeded Minaur in an hour and 48 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena to set up a clash with Ben Shelton.
Top seed Sinner had dropped only one set in nine previous head-to-head meetings against the local hope and didn’t look like dropping any as he exhibited clinical display of baseline hitting to win.
The 23-year-old has now extended his winning streak at hard-court Grand Slam tournaments to 19 matches, having won the Australian Open and US Open last year.
It was also the Italian’s ninth straight victory against top 10 players as he improved to a 10-0 over Di Minaur in clashes between them and 12th consecutive win at Melbourne Park.
After his win, Sinner adressed firness concerns that were prevalent before his match against Di Minaur.
“Yesterday was a very easy day. I played just half an hour, 40 minutes with my coaches,” he said.
“They gave me a good rhythm, but talking about general physical, you know, I feel like especially when you are young, you recover very fast, it’s a bit different.”
Shelton in second Grand Slam semi-final
Ben Shelton registered an entertaining 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) win against Lorenzo Sonego to advance to the semi-final earlier in the day.
It is the American’s second semi-final appearance at a Grand Slam after reaching the last four at the 2023 US Open.
“I feel relieved right now, shoutout to Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis,” said Shelton in his on-court interview.
“I’m just really happy to be through, to get my first win on Rod Laver Arena. Thanks everybody for coming out, it was one of my favourite matches of my career.
“If it’s the home favourite Alex de Minaur [in the semi-finals], you guys can boo me, throw stuff at my head.. I understand,” he added.
“If it’s the No. 1 in the world [Jannik Sinner], it’ll probably be the same, so I’m looking forward to it. I know I got a few in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me too.”
Jannik Sinner defeated Alex Di Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to enter the semi-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
