7 hours ago
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An hour into one of the greatest occasions of his young tennis career, Ben Shelton was soaring. As he faced the daunting challenge of Jannik Sinner, Shelton frustrated the best player in the world early on with his potent forehand, athleticism and variety of shot. Up set point and 6-5 on his serve, Shelton was well positioned to take a surprise early lead on Rod Laver Arena.
While Sinner’s mental toughness used to be considered a flaw, one of the qualities obstructing him from finally winning the biggest titles, today few players tackle these important moments with such composure and consistency. From set point down, Sinner spectacularly elevated his level, turning the first set around before marching to another supreme victory on a court that is becoming his fortress.
After coolly navigating the early adversity, Sinner moved into his second Australian Open final with a commanding 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 victory over the 21st seed Shelton. Sinner, the defending champion and No 1 seed, will face the second seed Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday as he attempts to consolidate his dominance on hard courts with his second Australian Open title.
Sinner’s victory means he is the youngest man to reach two Australian Open finals since Jim Courier, his on-court interviewer after the match, in 1993. Sinner has also won 20 consecutive matches, a run that includes titles at the Shanghai Masters, ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. Sinner, who is now a dazzling 52-3 on hard courts since the beginning of 2024 and 20-0 at hard court grand slam tournaments during this period, will now also try to win his third consecutive hard court grand slam.
Over the past two weeks, Shelton has repeatedly demonstrated his growing maturity as he reached his second grand slam semi-final, often saving his best tennis for the decisive moments. Still, none of his five prior opponents in Melbourne, which included only one seeded opponent in No 16 Lorenzo Musetti, prepared him for the level that would be required to challenge the world No 1.
Energised by the occasion and crowd, Shelton burst into the match performing at a high level. As he controlled many of the early exchanges with his forehand and ground through a surprising number of the extended early exchanges due to his athleticism, Shelton seemed to take a leaf out of Carlos Alcaraz’s book from the Spaniard’s battles with Sinner. Since Sinner feeds off pace with his immaculate timing and clean ball striking, Shelton tried to disrupt the Italian by constantly mixing up the spin, pace and trajectory of his shots, peppering Sinner with loopy topspin forehands and ample backhand slices. His smart, well-rounded approach yielded a break of serve at 5-5 and two set points on his serve at 6-5.
Until that point, Sinner had been flat, particularly during an error-strewn service game at 5-5, but he came alive in the most important part of the set. Twice down set point, Sinner landed excellent returns and worked his way on top of both points with his typically measured yet relentless aggression. After retrieving the break at the end of a long, physical game, Sinner dominated the tie-break against an increasingly frustrated Shelton.
With the first set secured, Sinner eased to victory by neutralising the enormous Shelton first serve with his excellent return, frustrating the American with his defence and using his typically brutal, consistent ball-striking off both wings to dominate from inside the baseline. Although Sinner moved to a comfortable victory in the end, he struggled with cramps in the third set and required massages during the changeovers in the final games.
Still, neither a bold start from Shelton or tension in the final stages could stop Sinner from returning to the Australian Open final, where he will be heavily favoured to win his third grand slam title.
