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By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, January 24, 2025

 
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Jannik Sinner saved two set points then slammed Ben Shelton 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 surging into his second straight Australian Open final.

Photo credit: Hannah Peters/Getty

Excessive celebrations are rarely part of Jannik Sinner’s victory tour.

Today, defending Australian Open champion Sinner turned semifinal return into a homecoming bash.

Shelton: Shocked By Disrespect of AO Broadcaster

It proved to be a painful party for Ben Shelton.

Sinner saved a couple of set points in the opening set then slammed Shelton 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 surging into his second straight Australian Open final.



It wasn’t quite as simple as the scoreline may suggest.

In his AO semifinal debut, Shelton broke to open, broke again for a 6-5 lead and earned two set points serving for the set. Sinner broke back and ran through the tiebreaker, but seemed to struggle with leg cramps in the final set.

Still, Sinner solved all challenges with a historic performance.

At age 23 years 163 days, Sinner is the youngest man to reach multiple Australian Open finals since Hall of Famer Jim Courier, who reached his first AO final aged 21 years 162 days in 1992 and his second final here aged 22 years 167 days in 1993.

“I don’t know it was a very tough first set, but a very crucial one and I felt like he was serving not at his best today and the percentage was not where he wanted it to,” Sinner told Jim Courier in his on-court interview afterward. “I think we both returned better than we served.

“First set is always important, it gives you a little bit of confidence. There was tension for both of us. I’m very happy with how I handled the situation today. Happy to be back in the finals.”



It is Sinner’s 13th consecutive victory at Melbourne Park—he’s now 29-2 in his last five majors—and sets up a blockbuster final of world No. 1 against world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.

Sinner rides a career-best 20-match winning streak into the final; he has not lost a match since bowing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Beijing final last year, racking up the ATP Finals title, leading Italy to its successful Davis Cup championship defense and now poised to play for a third major crown.

Earlier, Roland Garros runner-up Zverev took the opening set against Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) then the 10-time Australian Open champion retired due to a muscle tear in his leg after 86 minutes of physical play. Some fans booed the Grand Slam king as he departed with a double thumbs up.

The 2020 Olympic gold-medal champion Zverev, widely regarded as the best active player yet to win a major, advanced to his third Grand Slam final. Zverev is 4-2 lifetime vs. Sinner, winning two of their three major matches.

“I think Jannik has been the best player in the world for the past 12 months. There's no doubt about it,” Zverev said. “[He] won two Grand Slams. Has been very, very stable in those regards. So definitely one of the best players in the world…

“I’m sure it’s going to be a tough battle on Sunday.”

Tennis Express

Facing first-time AO semifinalist Shelton, Sinner started slowly then commanded the center of the court dictating play through the tiebreaker and for much of the second and third sets.

"Honestly really disappointed," Shelton said. "You know going into the match that playing Jannik is a tough ask. For me, I've made my living on tour so far serving out sets and being able to serve out sets.

"Having two set points on my serve, serving at 6-5, I feel like uncharacteristic for me not to come through and win that. Obviously you're playing the No. 1 player in the world, the chances, the windows are always small. Sometimes you miss your window, and the guy steps up his level, starts making a lot more first serves, playing better. The break chances don't come as often."

The 22-year-old Shelton tried to throw variety at the two-time major champion—sometimes mixing in the drop shot, slice backhands and a varied assortment of spins on serve—but Sinner played far cleaner tennis and attacked the left-hander’s favored forehand.

Shelton scattered 55 unforced errors—29 more than Sinner—with 30 of those 55 errors coming off his stronger forehand side. Sinner said semifinal stress contributed to the breaks. Additionally, playing in cool conditions at night sapped some of the spin and sting from Shelton’s serve. Shelton, who spent two-and-a-half hours longer on court than Sinner through five matches, looked weary by the third set, but also noticed Sinner struggling a bit.

“I had a lot of tension today, some cramps," said Sinner, who received medical treatment for cramps in the third set. "He was also suffering a little today with his legs, so I tried to move him around and stay more aggessive, which helped a lot.

“These matches can go very long. Three sets, two hours and 30 minutes is quite a time, so I am happy to finish in three. I am happy to be back in the final and we will see what happens on Sunday.”

The left-handed Shelton broke right out of the box then saved a break point snatching a surprising 2-0 lead.

A sloppy Shelton serve game gave back the break in the fourth game.

The top seed slashed three aces in a row edging ahead 5-4 after 45 minutes of play.

Suddenly, Sinner lost his range a bit netting a forehand to face double break point in the 11th game. Shelton attacked behind a forehand, drew the netted pass and trotted to his seat up 6-5.

It was the first time in the tournament Sinner was broken twice in the same set. Shelton held set point at 40-30, but Sinner prevailed in a 20-shot rally for deuce. Reading a Sinner drop shot, Shelton faked the drive and responded with the re-dropper for a second set point.

On set point No. 2 Shelton sailed a forehand down the line. When Shelton framed a forehand, Sinner won a seven-minute game to force the first-set tiebreaker.

Challenging the left-hander’s forehand, Sinner coaxed three straight forehand errors as he surged to a 5-0 lead before Shelton finally got on the board.

Though he dropped serve twice in the set, Sinner powered through the tiebreaker, 7-2, closing on Shelton’s 27th unforced error, including his 19th forehand error, of the set.

After losing the one hour, 11-minute set, Shelton tried to reset, but Sinner was not having it.

Moving the American side-to-side, Sinner bled errors rallying from 40-15 down to start the second set with the break.




While Shelton elevated his level, Sinner would not give up ground on the baseline, saved a break point and worked through a challenging hold consolidating for 2-0.

Amping up aggression, Sinner spread the court effectively eliciting another forehand error to break for a 3-0 second-set lead.

The challenge for Shelton was trying to shorten points without spraying errors, but Sinner was winning most of the longer rallies as he hit a hopping backhand down the line extending to 5-1.

A disconsolate Shelton dug in to deny a break point then banged an ace down the T to hold for 2-5.

The top seed slid his fourth ace down the T seizing a two-set lead after one hour, 49-minutes of play. Shelton more than doubled Sinner’s error output—43 to 18—through two sets of play.

After that second set, Shelton called for the trainer who worked on his right thigh during the changeover.




Showing signs of explosiveness, Shelton rocketed a 101 mph running forehand down the line that drew gasps from some fans and helped the American go up love-30 on the top-seed’s serve.



Across the net, Sinner looked slightly hobbled as he faced double break point in the fourth game.

The two-time Grand Slam champion staved off both break points and banged a backhand down the line subduing stress to level at 2-all.

Two hours, 22 minutes into the match, Shelton saved a break point with a forehand down the line, while Sinner appeared to be feeling the onset of cramps in his legs.

The 22-year-old Shelton needed to make Sinner work, but instead double faulted then slapped a forehand into net, dropping his racquet in disgust after ceding the break and a 3-2 lead to Sinner.

On the ensuing changeover, Sinner called for the trainer who worked over his right leg during the break. While Sinner seemed to be cramping, Shelton was soon reeling.

The 2023 US Open semifinalist double faulted away the break and a 5-2 third-set lead. Sinner served out a strong two hour, 36-minute triumph on one final netted forehand from Shelton.



A smiling Sinner gave Rod Laver Arena fans a thumbs up and said he expects a tough test against nemesis Zverev. Sinner, who has won 79 of his last 85 matches, is bidding to become the fifth man in Open Era history to win three consecutive Grand Slam hard-court championships.

“Very tough match we’ve had some very tough matches in the past,” Sinner said. “Everything can happen. He’s an incredible player. He is looking for his first major.

“There is going to be again a lot of tension, but I’m happy again to put myself in this position. Sunday especially in tournaments, are very, very special days. Thank you for the support. It has been amazing. Hopefully it’s going to be a good match.”

 

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