Jannik Sinner rocks De Minaur, meets Shelton in Australian semi-finals

Defending champion Jannik Sinner rejected no. 8 seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Australian Open semifinals on Wednesday and extend the country’s decades-long wait for another homegrown men’s singles Grand Slam champion.

Sinner, whose Grand Slam breakthrough came at last year’s tournament at Melbourne Park, will take on American and No. 21st seed Ben Shelton aims for a third major trophy after also lifting the US Open title in September.

Defeat extinguished local favorite De Minaur’s ambitious bid to end Australia’s 49-year wait for a men’s champion since Mark Edmondson’s triumph, but fans at a packed Rod Laver Arena gave him a standing ovation for his valiant effort.

“I feel like today I felt everything,” Sinner said. “When you break so early in each set, it’s a little bit easier. But he’s a tough competitor, a great player. So many people came here for him tonight, but it was a great atmosphere.

“We know each other pretty well. We played so many times, we know each other’s games, so we try to prepare in the best way possible. These games can go fast, but things can change quickly.”

De Minaur had a mountain to climb from the start, with the 25-year-old needing a first win over Sinner in their 10th meeting to become the first man from his nation to reach the Australian Open semi-finals since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago since.

The early exchanges were encouraging and resembled a game of pinball with some big baseline hitting from both players before Sinner broke for a 3-1 lead that laid the platform for the 23-year-old to win the opening set.

Sinner showed no signs of the illness that caused him to struggle in his last match as he broke early in the second set and hit a spectacular forehand winner across the crossbar, leaving his opponent slightly demoralized.

“Yesterday was an easy day. I only played 30-40 minutes with my coaches (in practice),” Sinner said. “They gave me a good rhythm. I feel like when you’re young, you come fast. It’s a little different. I really like to sleep, so I rested as much as possible to recover and try to be ready. “

Sinner broke through the first three games of the third set and quickly wrapped up the match, ending it with a final break of serve.

In the earlier match, it was Shelton’s opponent, Lorenzo Sonego, who produced the shot of the tournament – diving to his left after a volley with so much spin that the ball bounced on one side of the net and then floated back over to the other. — but it was the American who ended up with the victory.

The left-handed Shelton did something entertaining for himself, including earning cheers by doing a pair of push-ups after tumbling in the final tiebreaker, and reached his second Grand Slam semifinal at the age of 22 by beating unseeded Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

“I’m relieved,” Shelton said. “Shout out to Lorenzo Sonego because that was some ridiculous tennis.”

As good as Shelton is with his serves and forehands, his improved return game is a major part of what led him to the last four at the Australian Open for the first time.

He did just enough in that department, accumulating 11 break points and converting three against Sonego, an Italian ranked 55th. Shelton entered the match coming through on 52% of his break chances, the highest number among the eight men’s quarterfinalists.

The crowd factor was high for Shelton vs. Sonego, who had never made it this far at a major before.

Sonego went 67-for-90 on trips to the net, and his highlight reel volley came at the beginning of the second set. It was so remarkable that Shelton acknowledged the effort by offering a congratulatory handshake.

There was another great shot by Sonego in the fourth set when he ran with his back to the net and spun to hit a hook of sorts that resulted in a winner.

However, it is Shelton who will continue to play in Melbourne this year.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.