Melbourne: World No. 2 Jannik Sinner strengthened his case for a third successive Australian Open title and made his way into the final four after defeating local favourite Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday to extend his win streak to 19 matches at Melbourne Park.
The two-time defending champion extended his winning streak to nine consecutive victories and 22 straight sets against the formidable lefty, setting up Friday’s semifinals match against Novak Djokovic.
In his ninth Grand Slam semi-final and third at the Australian Open, the four-time major champion faces a major challenge against record 10-time winner Novak Djokovic. Sinner has previously beaten Djokovic in the semi-finals at the Australian Open (2024), Roland Garros (2025), and Wimbledon (2025), ATP reports.
Shelton only lost one set en route to his third Australian Open quarter-final. However, like their previous matches, he found it difficult to play his best against the Italian.
Sinner targeted Shelton’s backhand, pressured him on the forehand side, and controlled play from the baseline, improving his lead against the American to 9-1. They have now faced off four times in major tournaments, with Sinner winning all four, including twice in Australia and twice at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile Novak Djokovic, a ten-time Australian Open champion, reached his 13th semifinal at Melbourne Park afternoon in a dramatic way when the fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with a two-set lead.
The Italian led 6-4 6-3 before injuring his right leg en route to being broken in the third game of the third set. Meanwhile, Djokovic added another milestone to his illustrious career simply by stepping on court Wednesday for his quarterfinal as the former No. 1 became just the third man to play 1,400 tour-level matches.
Musetti stepped onto Rod Laver Arena, having lost all three previous major matches against Djokovic. He delivered an excellent all-around quarter-final performance, taking a two-set lead. However, he seemed to injure his upper right leg in the third game of the third set. Despite attempting to continue after physio treatment at 1-2, Musetti was eventually forced to retire after two hours and eight minutes of play.
“I don’t know what to say except I feel really sorry for him, and he was a far better player. I was on my way home tonight. These kinds of things happen in sport. It happened to me a few times, but being in the quarters of a Grand Slam, two sets to love up, and being in full control, it’s so unfortunate,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. (IANS)
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