An hour into one of the greatest occasions of his young career, Ben Shelton was soaring. As he faced the daunting challenge of Jannik Sinner, the American 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 – or lack thereof – used to be considered a flaw, obstructing him from winning the biggest titles, these days few players tackle these important moments with such composure and consistency. From set point down, Sinner spectacularly elevated his level, turning the set around before marching to another supreme victory on a court that is becoming his fortress.
After coolly navigating the early adversity, the Italian moved into his second Australian Open final with a commanding 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 victory over the 21st seed. Sinner, the defending champion and No 1 seed, will face the second seed, Alexander Zverev, on Sunday as he attempts to consolidate his dominance on hard courts.
His 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, 23, has also won 20 consecutive matches, a run that includes titles at the Shanghai Masters, ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. Sinner, who has a dazzling 52-3 record on hard courts since the beginning of 2024 and 20-0 at hard court grand slam tournaments during this period, will now try to win his third consecutive hard court grand slam, having won the US Open in September.
“Even if it’s easy to say, but difficult to do, I will try to do that and also enjoy these moments,” said Sinner. “We won six very, very tough matches. Yeah, finals are very special.”
Over the past two weeks, Shelton has demonstrated his growing maturity as he reached his second grand slam semi-final, often saving his best tennis for the decisive moments. Energised by the occasion and crowd, Shelton burst into the match performing at a high level. Since Sinner feeds off pace with his immaculate timing and clean ball striking, Shelton complemented his potent forehand by constantly mixing up the spin, pace and trajectory of his shots. He broke serve at 5-5 and then generated two set points.
Until that point, Sinner had been flat, 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 in 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 his increasingly frustrated opponent.
With the first set secured, Sinner eased to victory by neutralising the Shelton first serve with his excellent return, frustrating the American with his defence and using his brutal, consistent ball-striking off both wings to dominate from inside the baseline. Although Sinner moved to a comfortable victory, he struggled with cramps in the third set and required massages during the changeovers in the final games. Shelton, meanwhile, served poorly in the final two sets.
“Honestly, really disappointed,” said Shelton. “You know going into the match that playing Jannik is a tough ask. For me, I’ve made my living on tour so far serving out sets. Having two set points on my serve, at 6-5, I feel like uncharacteristic for me not to come through and win that.
“Obviously you’re playing the No 1 player in the world, the chances, the windows are always small. Sometimes you miss your window, and the guy steps up his level, starts making a lot more first serves, playing better. The break chances don’t come as often.”
Neither a bold start from Shelton nor cramping could stop Sinner from returning to the final, where he will be favoured to win his third grand slam title.
“I’m just happy to put myself in this position again, to play for a big trophy again,” said Sinner. “But in other ways, everything can happen Sunday. I’m just happy to be here.”
