Defending champion Jannik Sinner defeated Ben Shelton 6-3 6-4 6-4 to set up a blockbuster clash against Novak Djokovic at the 2026 Australian Open.
The Italian two-time defending champion made it nine victories in a row – and 22 sets in succession to book his place in the last four of the tournament, where he will face Djokovic on Friday.
Sinner raced into a 4-1 lead in the first set to emerge victorious.
He exposed Shelton’s backhand, rushed him on the forehand wing and dictated from the baseline to seal a deserved victory.
Sinner admitted it was a tough contest while expressing his excitement at facing Djokovic in the semi-final.
He said: “It is very tough to play against Ben. 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.
“These are the moments you practise for. 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.”
Sinner has won all 18 of his Grand Slam matches against American opponents and owns a 6-2 record against Top 10 players at the hard-court major, having lost his first two such encounters to Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic earned a 6-4, 6-3, 1-3 over Lorenzo Musetti to qualify for the semi-final.
Musetti retired injured after two sets, he had taken a medical timeout for treatment on his thigh but, unable to serve or move properly.
He conceded the match at 3-1 in the third set to hand Djokovic an easy victory.
Djokovic admitted he was lucky in the encounter while wishing Musetti quick recovery.
He said: “I feel really sorry for him, he was the far better player, I was on my way home tonight.
“It has happened to me a few times. He was in full control. So unfortunate, I don’t [know] what else to say. He should have been the winner today, no doubt. I am extremely lucky to get through this one today.”
Pegula Vs Rybakina
Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, stunned second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 to book her spot in the last four.
Pegula swept aside Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in an all-American affair.
Two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on Ukrainian 12th seed Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.
Rybakina has made the Melbourne final once before, in 2023, when she lost in three tough sets to Sabalenka.
The 26-year-old fifth seed took her latest victory in her stride, saying a calmer mindset helped in the heat of battle.
