‘Oh what a get!’ – Sinner with unbelievable speed to chase down drop shot
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Jannik Sinner said “we are lucky” to still have Novak Djokovic playing “incredible tennis at his age” as the pair are set to face off in a blockbuster Australian Open semi-final match.
The world No. 2 set up the final-four clash with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 victory against Ben Shelton on Wednesday.
Djokovic – the 10-time Melbourne champion – sealed his spot in the semi-finals earlier in the day after quarter-final opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired with injury while two sets ahead.Sinner is looking to become the only man other than Djokovic to have won the Australian Open title three times in succession in the Open Era, and after suffering a third-round scare against Eliot Spizzirri, he has been resolute in his search for yet more glory down under.
And the four-time Grand Slam champion is relishing the opportunity to face Djokovic once again – having enjoyed a streak of five consecutive victories over the Serbian, two of which came in Grand Slam semi-finals last year.
“These are the moments you practise for, you wake up in the morning and look forward to playing a good match.
‘Disrespectful’ – Watch as Djokovic responds to question about Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Sinner
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“If you want to win, you have to play your best, so I’m looking forward to it. In the past, I had great lessons, the result doesn’t matter, it improves you as a result and a person.
“We’re so lucky to have Novak here, playing incredible tennis at his age.
“We play for you guys, but we also play for us, and hopefully it’s going to be a great battle out here. It’s going to be, of course, very difficult.”
In a rematch of last year’s semi-final, Sinner extended his string of consecutive victories over Shelton to nine, dominating from the baseline and using the pace of the American’s big serve.
A single break – clinched at the fourth opportunity for 3-1 – was enough to propel Sinner into a set-love lead, and there was no way through the Italian’s serve for the No. 8 seed, with the two-time defending champion crushing three love holds to close out the opener.
Watch as Sinner and Shelton walk out for blockbuster quarter-final clash
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Sinner, again, remained rock-solid on serve in the second – having been broken just once since the heat break, which afforded him an opportunity to recover from cramp in his third-round scare against Spizzirri.
The advantage once again came early, as Shelton skewed a forehand wide for break point before buckling in a tense baseline exchange.
Sinner was immediately made to fend off three break points, but did so nervelessly, as his charge towards the semi-finals gathered significant pace.
There was a momentary scare for the No. 2 when he bizarrely dropped a double fault with the ball barely reaching the net, and appeared somewhat dazed when rubbing his eyes, but he covered to seal a crucial hold which saw him move two sets ahead.
Shelton appeared fired-up in the third – showing some nice variation, and letting out various shouts of self-encouragement when saving two break points to keep the set on serve.
Watch as Sinner ‘out-classes’ Shelton to reach Australian Open semi-finals
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But, again, he simply could not find a way to neutralise Sinner’s serve, and when he was broken to 15 to allow the reigning champion to serve for the match, the conclusion was inevitable.
In claiming victory, Sinner moved level with Roger Federer’s tally of 19 consecutive victories at the Australian Open.
Djokovic (33) holds the record for the longest winning streak at Melbourne Park, with Andre Agassi (26) second, and Sinner is one win away from levelling Ivan Lendl’s tally of 20.
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