Sinner Cruises Into Australian Open Semi-Finals with Win Over De Minaur

Jannik Sinner cruised to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory over home favourite Alex de Minaur in the Australian Open quarter-finals, keeping his hopes alive of defending his title at the season’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne.

The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings was clinical with his baseline play inside Rod Laver Arena, dominating De Minaur in just 1 hour, 48 minutes to extend his flawless 9-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head record over the Australian.

In contrast to the struggles he faced in his previous match against Holger Rune, where illness hindered his performance, Sinner was ruthless in his dismantling of De Minaur, showcasing the kind of form that has propelled him to numerous victories.

The Italian hit the ball with power from both wings, using his baseline game to take time away from his opponent and move him around the court. De Minaur struggled to counter Sinner’s game plan and create opportunities. Sinner created 10 break points in the match, converting six of them.

In his on-court interview, Sinner said, “I feel like today I was feeling everything. On days like this, when you break quite early in each set, it’s a little bit easier.”

Sinner will next face Ben Shelton in the semi-finals, after the American defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4). With the win, Shelton improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Sonego.

This marks Shelton’s second Grand Slam semi-final appearance, following his run to the last four at the 2023 US Open.

In his on-court interview, Shelton said, “I feel relieved right now, shoutout to Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis. 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.”

He added, “If it’s the home favourite Alex de Minaur [I play in the semi-finals], you guys can boo me, throw stuff at my head.. I understand. 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’ve got a few in the crowd who are going to be pulling for me too.”

The win saw Shelton rise six spots to No. 14 in this week’s PIF ATP Live Rankings, and the American could climb as high as No. 5 by securing his first Grand Slam title.