“I don’t want to talk, you know, so much about how I felt today,” Sinner told reporters after he won. “I was not feeling really well. I was struggling physically, but I don’t want to go into details, no? … I think it was a great match. I think that’s what we have to focus on, and some ups and downs.”
Read more: There’s a screw loose at Australian Open, as Sinner’s win over Rune interrupted by net problem
De Minaur had lost all nine previous meetings with Sinner, and that song remained the same. Sinner allowed just one break point, while feasting on six of 10 chances. He hit nearly three times as many winners as de Minaur, 27-10, and won six out of every 10 points when de Minaur hit a second serve. While game as ever, the undersized and underpowered Aussie simply had no place to hide.
Afterward, de Minaur heaped praise on Sinner and added: “After playing some great tennis on home soil and gaining so much, you feel like you just have been slapped across the face, to be honest, to finish off like that.”
Sinner’s semifinal opponent will be Ben Shelton, the diametrical opposite of de Minaur. The 22-year old American is 6-foot-4, solid of build, and blessed with great power. Shelton has beaten Sinner before (Shanghai in 2023), although the favorite won their last three meetings. Apart from a monstrous serve, Shelton has punishing groundstrokes, and a creative attacking style to go with his confidence-inducing history in Melbourne Park. He made his pro tour breakout by reaching the quarterfinals there two years ago.
