Jannik Sinner beats Ben Shelton in straight sets to reach Australian Open final

Defending champion Jannik Sinner defeated Ben Shelton to reach his second successive Australian Open final.

The world number one will take on Alexander Zverev, who led by a set when Novak Djokovic retired injured in their clash earlier, on Sunday as he chases a third grand slam title.

Facing an opponent with huge firepower, Sinner was not quite at the level he showed in swatting aside home hope Alex De Minaur in the quarter-finals, and Shelton will regret not taking his chances in the first set.

Sinner made him pay, dominating the tie-break and then easing to a 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2 victory.

Shelton, whose only previous grand slam semi-final came at the US Open in 2023, settled more quickly into the contest and immediately broke the Sinner serve.

The Italian quickly levelled but then played a poor game at 5-5 to give Shelton a chance to serve for the opening set.

Had he taken one of two set points, the evening might have played out differently, but Sinner hit back and errors from Shelton helped the top seed into a 5-0 lead.

From the verge of taking the first set, the 22-year-old did not win another game until he was 4-0 down in the second and the match was virtually gone.

The trainer was a busy man in the deciding set, called upon to massage the thighs of both men as they tired, but Sinner again seized his chance early in the third set and raced away to the finish line.

“It was a very tough first set but a very crucial one,” said the Italian, who is on a 20-match winning streak and has lost just one of his last 36 matches.

“I felt like he was serving not at his best today and I think we both actually returned better than we served. First sets are always very important, there was a lot of tension for both of us, and I’m very happy with how I handled the situation today. I’m happy to be back in the finals here.”

On his physical discomfort, Sinner added: “Slightly cramps but also he was suffering a little bit in his legs so I tried to move him around. These matches can go very, very long. I’m happy to finish today in three.”