Jannik Sinner Survives Shelton Storm To Reach Second Consecutive Australian Open Final - UBITENNIS

Jannik Sinner Survives Shelton Storm To Reach Second Consecutive Australian Open Final

Jannik Sinner will meet Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final.

By Tony Fairbairn
3 Min Read
(@TheTennisLetter - Twitter)

Jannik Sinner survived an early scare from Ben Shelton as he defeated the American 7-6(2) 6-2 6-2 to reach his second consecutive Australian Open final.

The Italian’s title defence continues after he survived an early storm from Shelton to reach the final with a straight sets win.

It was a fantastic first set from Shelton but the American tailed off in what was his first Australian Open semi-final.

The world number one will now face world number two Alexander Zverev as he bids to win a third Grand Slam title.

In the opening set Shelton produced some stunning tennis to break in the opening game, taking advantage of a tentative start from the Italian.

There was a strong response from Sinner that ultimately led to the break back at 2-2 but Shelton was unfazed as he continued his controlled aggression, giving Sinner little room to breathe.

A few break points were created in the sixth game by Sinner but ultimately the defending champion missed key shots when it mattered most.

Furthermore, Shelton was winning the long exchanges as he used a mixture of brute force and great finesse to catch the world number one off guard.

The persistence and resilience from Shelton was on show as he broke for a 6-5 lead and had the chance to close out the opening set.

Despite having two set points, Shelton couldn’t keep to his gameplan and that allowed Sinner confidence and time to pick his spots.

Eventually Sinner found the break back and would dominate the opening set tiebreak 7-2 in a set that lasted 71 minutes.

That would be the turning point as Sinner ramped up the aggression in the second set with Shelton showing signs of physical frailty.

A 4-0 lead would be maintained as Shelton looked to his box with frustration with the world number one cruising to a two set lead.

In the third set both players shared long exchanges and it was Shelton who threatened the break of serve at the beginning of the third set.

Once again the American lacked that clinical edge as Sinner outmuscled the American when it mattered most.

Two consecutive breaks for Sinner sealed a captivating and consistent performance that proved why he is the world number one.

Another Grand Slam title awaits Sinner if he can defeat Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final showdown.

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