Sinner joins Zverev in Australian Open final

Jannik Sinner will be on hand for Sunday's Australian Open final.

The world number 1 has now won his fifth consecutive match against Ben Shelton. In a match in which both players were not at their best, the Italian came through in three sets (7-6, 6-2, 6-2).

Yet it was Shelton who got off to the best possible start. The number 21 seed broke right from the start, but Sinner, who took several games to settle, came back almost immediately.

But in the end, the US Open 2023 semi-finalist missed the boat in the first set, when he served for the set at 6-5. Despite two set points, he saw Sinner come back before flying through the decider (7 points to 2).

The rest was a mere formality, against a Shelton who was struggling to come to terms with the turnaround in the first set.

Sinner accelerated, and despite a few cramps and break points saved at the end of the game, the Italian was able to calmly conclude the match (7-6, 6-2, 6-2 in 2h36 of play).

Jannik Sinner will be playing in his second consecutive Melbourne final, the third of his Grand Slam career.

He will face number 2 seed Alexander Zverev, who took advantage of Novak Djokovic's withdrawal earlier in the day.

The German will also be playing in his third Major final, and will be looking to win the biggest title of his career to date.