Sinner Overpowers Shelton in Ruthless Quarterfinal Rout
Jannik Sinner’s unflappable baseline game silenced Ben Shelton’s thunderous serve on Rod Laver Arena, propelling the Italian toward another Australian Open semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic amid rising stakes.
On Rod Laver Arena, where the afternoon sun baked the hardcourts, Jannik Sinner carried his unbeaten streak in Melbourne since 2023 into a quarterfinal that felt like a foregone conclusion. The two-time defending champion dismantled Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, extending his dominance in their ninth meeting to a 9-1 head-to-head edge. All four major encounters now belong to the Italian, twice here and twice at Wimbledon.
“It is very tough to play against Ben,” Sinner said. “He has a huge, huge serve and I feel like he is improving so much, year after year. Especially after the offseason, you don’t know how certain players are going to play against you and change lots of things. I am very happy with today’s performance.”
Shelton arrived with just one set dropped en route to his third Australian Open quarterfinal, his lefty serve overwhelming earlier foes. Yet Sinner rushed the American’s forehand wing with heavy topspin, forcing defensive crosscourts, while probing the backhand with inside-in forehands that hugged the lines. The world No. 2 absorbed pace without yielding ground, redirecting it down-the-line to break early in the first set when Shelton netted a forehand under pressure.
Shelton‘s power falters under pressure
Sinner’s return positioning neutralized the eighth seed’s first-strike tennis from the start, standing deeper to handle the kick on these rebound ace courts. He built an 18-4 winners-to-unforced-errors lead in the opener, a backhand around-the-net-post winner in the third game drawing roars from the crowd and setting a tone of inevitability. Shelton’s rhythm shattered as he leaked 17 unforced errors in the second set alone, squandering all three break points he carved out.
The American couldn’t settle into a clear 1–2 pattern, his inside-out forehands stifled by Sinner’s depth and variety. A double fault down 15/40 in the third set’s ninth game handed the decisive break, the Italian closing out after two hours and 23 minutes despite a visible physical dip late. This straight-sets affair exposed how Melbourne’s surface speed rewards precision over raw explosion, Sinner’s composure turning Shelton’s fire into frustration.
Three-peat bid sharpens mental edge
Unbeaten against Americans in 18 Grand Slam matches, Sinner has forged a 6-2 record versus Top 10 players at this hard-court major, lessons from early losses to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022 and 2023 now fueling his growth. The pressure of a three-peat weighs heavy, yet he channels it into unrelenting focus, his baseline mastery pinning opponents deep and dictating tempo. As Shelton faltered at key moments, the arena’s energy shifted, the thud of balls echoing Sinner’s growing command.
Into his ninth Grand Slam semifinal and third here, the four-time major winner now faces a blockbuster test against record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic. Sinner has bested the Serb in semis at the Australian Open in 2024, Roland Garros in 2025, and Wimbledon in 2025, each victory a sharpening stone for his game. These hardcourts amplify both men’s groundstrokes, demanding Sinner amp up his one–two punch to counter Djokovic’s slice and experience.
“These are the moments you practise for,” Sinner said on facing Djokovic. “I will wake up in the morning and will look forward to playing a good match hopefully. If you want to win you have to play at your best. In the past I have had great lessons and it doesn’t really matter the result, it improves you as a player and a person. We are lucky to still have Novak here, playing incredible tennis at his age.”
HYPED!
Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner for a place in the 2026 Australian Open final#AO26 pic.twitter.com/zzxBo1zBsF— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 28, 2026
The hype builds for this generational showdown on January 28, 2026, Sinner’s offseason tweaks fortifying him against such pressure. Melbourne’s heat mirrors the intensity, his arc from quarterfinal calm to semifinal fire pointing toward a potential final berth. As the crowd buzzes with anticipation, the Italian’s mindset emerges as the edge in this pursuit of history.
