Australian Open: Sinner sets up Zverev final after trouncing Shelton

Jannik Sinner, the reigning champion of the Australian Open, defeated American 21st seed Ben Shelton 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2 in the final to advance to Melbourne Park and meet Alexander Zverev.

Sinner’s victory ensured that he would become the youngest person to reach three Grand Slam singles finals since Jim Courier in 1992-93. The 23-year-old continued to pursue his dream of becoming the first Italian to win three Grand Slam titles.

“I’m happy to be back in the final again”, said Sinner, who had to overcome a cramp in the third set.

“I’m hoping I can enjoy it because Sundays are special days in tournaments.”

After winning four of his five meetings with left-hander Shelton, Sinner found himself in trouble when a thunderous forehand winner gave the American a break before wrapping up the contest with a tight hold.

The top seed fought back from a iffy start to bring the score to 2-2 and attacked Shelton’s powerful serve every chance, but a blundered in the 11th game caused him to be in trouble once more before saving two set points.

After falling behind by 4-0 in the subsequent tiebreak, Shelton bounced his racket off the court while Sinner gleefully accepted the first set when his frustrated opponent sent a forehand wide.

“It was a very tough first set but crucial”, said Sinner. “He wasn’t serving at his best, not where he wanted to. Better than we did when we both did it. You can often feel confident in your first sets, and the first set was tense. I’m happy how I handled it”.

Sinner released the handbrake after a breathless second set to win without reply in the first four games, leaving a dejected Shelton in the rearview mirror to double his lead in the match.

After breaking to go 3-2 up in a tense third set, Sinner had a problem in his left leg fixed by the trainer, who then helped him reach the finish line and the second major finals in succession.

“There was a lot of tension today, I was slightly cramping. He was suffering on his legs too so I tried to move him around”, added Sinner.

“These matches can go long. I’m happy to be back in the final after two and a half hours of playing three sets.

After 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic retired with a left thigh injury after losing the opening set 7-6(5), second seed Zverev made his first appearance in the Australian Open final and third major.

“We’ve had some tough matches in the past”, Sinner said of Zverev, who leads their head-to-head record 4-2.

“So anything can happen. He is a fantastic player seeking his first major.