Tennis superstar Jannik Sinner has overcome his physical problems and is still on track to become the defending champion at the Australian Open.
Two days after the dramatic victory over Holger Rune, in which the world number one seemed knocked out, he easily beat local hero Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals.
After less than two hours, Sinner converted his match point to 6:3, 6:2, 6:1 and moved into the semi-finals in Melbourne for the second time.
“I just felt it and I’m very happy with my performance. Yesterday was a quiet day and when you’re young, you regenerate very quickly,” said the Italian after a sparkling performance against the world number eight. On Friday he will meet the American Ben Shelton, who prevailed against Sinner’s compatriot Lorenzo Sonego.
In his agonizing four-set win over Rune in the round of 16, Sinner appeared to be severely weakened at times. When he changed sides, his whole body was clearly shaking.
Australian Open: Jannik Sinner back in top form
Before the game against de Minaur, rumors were circulating in Melbourne about possible pneumonia for the Italian – but he was in good form right from the start. De Minaur seemed overwhelmed and posed no threat to the world number one, who wants to grab his third Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Shelton had previously reached the semifinals of a major tournament for only the second time. The 22-year-old beat Sonego after another convincing performance and celebrated one of the greatest successes of his career. It was 6:4, 7:5, 4:6, 7:6 (7:4) after a high-class game in the Rod Laver Arena.
Shelton finished the tournament with crowd favorite Gael Monfils in the round of 16 and won many fans with his respectful manner. Now he made it into the top four in Melbourne for the first time. “I feel relieved, it was some absurd tennis,” said Shelton.
The 29-year-old Sonego failed to play out his routine in the crucial moments. Shelton was the more consistent player, especially towards the end of the sets.
After a spectacular rally in the tiebreak of the fourth round, he crashed into the boards during a rescue operation – then he did a few push-ups to the cheers of the fans, got up unscathed and marched to victory.