Jannik Sinner maintained his mastery of Alex de Minaur with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 beatdown in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open on Wednesday night. Sinner did not get broken a single time and faced only one break point while cruising in one hour and 48 minutes.
The world No. 1 had looked vulnerable in the fourth round against Holger Rune on Monday, when temperatures soared in Melbourne and the heat was clearly giving him problems. Sinner managed to survive that contest in four sets and looked like a totally different person against De Minaur. The Italian was so dominant from the back of the court that he won 81 percent of the points even when he had to toss in a second serve (84 percent on first serve). He finished with 27 winners to De Minaur’s 10.
“I feel like today I was feeling everything,” Sinner said. “On days like this, when you break quite early in each set, it’s a little bit easier. He’s a tough competitor and an amazing player…. We know each other quite well now. We’ve played each other so many times and we try to understand each others games, and try to prepare ourselves in the best possible way.
“These kinds of matches, they can go quickly, but also they can change very fast if I go down with my level a little bit and he takes opportunities. I’m very happy about my performance today.”
Sinner did not give De Minaur any opportunities today, nor has he given him any opportunities on any other day. It continues to be one of the most lopsided “rivalries” in tennis, with Sinner now 10-0 overall and 23-1 in total sets.
The top seed’s title defense will continue against Ben Shelton in Friday’s semifinals. Shelton booked a spot in his second Grand Slam semi (2023 U.S. Open) after holding off Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4) earlier on Wednesday. The American needed three hours and 50 minutes to win an entertaining match that was littered with errors but also dramatic shot-making.
nice one, Sinner