Sinner runs into semi-finals as Swiatek closes in on first Melbourne Crown

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ADDS Sinner, De Minaur quotes

Defending champion Jannik Sinner raced into the Australian Open semi-finals in blistering fashion on Wednesday after Iga Swiatek was equally reckless to close in on a first Melbourne crown.

Italian world number one Sinner swept aside outclassed home hope Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to silence Rod Laver Arena and set up a meeting with 21st seed Ben Shelton.

The other semi-final is between 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and world number two Alexander Zverev, with both taking place on Friday.

Sinner felt dizzy in the scorching heat of the afternoon during his four-set win against Holger Rune on Monday.

But in much cooler evening conditions, the 23-year-old was back to his brilliant best against eighth-seeded De Minaur, who are still unbeaten in 10 matches.

“Today I felt like I felt everything,” Sinner said.

“Days like this and you break down pretty early in each set, it’s a little bit easier.”

Sinner is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. He also won the US Open last year.

Admitting he had no answers that night, de Minaur said: “He was bloody good tonight.”

The 22-year-old American Shelton booked his place in the semi-finals in Melbourne for the first time with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) win over unseeded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Left-hander Shelton put on an all-action show to match his best performance at a major, having reached the 2023 US Open semi-finals.

Shelton unleashed the joint-fastest serve of the tournament, a monster ace at 232 km/h (144 mph), then turned his fire on the post-match TV interviews that winners do on the court.

“I feel the broadcasters should help us grow our sport and help these athletes who have just won matches on the biggest stage enjoy one of their biggest moments,” he said.

He described some of the interviews as “embarrassing” and “disrespectful”.

Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek inched closer to a first Australian Open crown with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 victory over American eighth seed Emma Navarro at a powerful Rod Laver Arena.

The 23-year-old world number two, who is building a head of steam, plays American 19th seed Madison Keys in the women’s semi-finals, both of which take place on Thursday.

Two-time defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka will play Spain’s 11th seed Paula Badosa for the other final spot.

Swiatek looks ominous. She is yet to drop a set and has dropped just 14 games in her five matches – seven of them in her first round clash against Katerina Siniakova.

“Madison is a great player and experienced, so you never know,” Swiatek warned.

“It’s going to be tricky, I just want to be focused on myself. She’s already played a good tournament here and we’re well aware of how she can play.”

Swiatek enjoyed a moment of luck at 2-2 in the second set against Navarro.

Navarro played a drop shot that forced the Pole into a desperate slide to get the ball, which she thought she did until replays showed it bounced twice.

The American was confused when she asked the chair umpire to use video review to check what happened.

But she was denied for waiting until the end of the point, instead of immediately challenging and stopping the game.

“It’s tough. I think we have to be able to look at it afterwards and make that call,” Navarro said.

Keys stormed back from a set down to beat Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their quarter-final.

Keys moved into the last four at Melbourne Park for the third time, 10 years after her first.

“It feels great. I’m really, really proud of myself to be in another semi-final here and hope and look forward to seeing if I can go one step further,” she said.

Keys, who turns 30 next month, is on a 10-match unbeaten run after lifting the Adelaide title.