Melbourne, Jan 24 (IANS) Defending champion Jannik Sinner of Italy overcame American Ben Shelton 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 in a heavy-hitting Australian Open semifinal on Rod Laver Arena to make his third major final on Friday.
In a match between two of the biggest ball strikers on the tour, it was the Italian who found greater control, accuracy and resilience to record his 20th consecutive tour-level win and advance to his third major final, ATP reports.
Two-time major champion Sinner improved his Grand Slam semifinal record to 3-2 with the win over Shelton, which came in two hours and 36 minutes. With this victory, Sinner also extended his winning streak at hard-court Grand Slam events to 20 matches, following his Australian Open title and his triumph at the US Open in 2024.
Sinner, who is aiming to become the first Italian to win three major titles after Nicola Pietrangeli (Roland Garros in 1959 and 1960), will face Alexander Zverev, who advanced after Novak Djokovic was forced to retire from their semi-final due to injury, in the men’s singles summit clash.
The 23-year-old also became the youngest man to reach multiple Australian Open finals since Jim Courier in 1993. The top seed holds a 100 per cent record in major finals (Australian Open 2024, US Open 2024) will hope to maintain that record in Sunday’s final.
The Italian was the man to beat in 2024, winning a tour-leading eight titles and climbing to No. 1 in June. He ended last season by winning in Shanghai, triumphing on home soil at the ATP Finals and then guiding Italy to Davis Cup glory for the second successive year.
–IANS
bc/ab