World No.1 tennis star Jannik Sinner outclassed 20th-ranked Ben Shelton in the second semifinal of the Australian Open to make his way into the finale. The 23-year-old Italian came from behind in the first set to register a straight sets win 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 in Melbourne.
Sinner is the current holder of the Australian Open title, having won it last year after beating Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller. He now looks to defend his title when he faces Germany's Alexander Zverev in the showdown clash.
Sinner broke Shelton six times in the match, including at some crucial junctures. He was 5-6 down in the opening set with Shelton having the serve. The Italian was a point behind losing it but then broke the American to take the opening set into a tiebreak, where the defending champion triumphed.
He hardly faced any hiccup later barring a third-set cramping for which he needed some treatment. Sinner was seen clutching his left hamstring and his right thigh as he looked to win the game. He broke Shelton in the third set to take a 3-2 lead which was the decisive break of the match.
Sinner will now meet Zverev in the final on Sunday, January 26 in what will be a World No.1 vs World No.2 clash at the Melbourne Park.
Sinner has two Grand Slams to his name as he also won the U.S. Open in September last year. He will be bidding to add a third major title now.
Meanwhile, Zverev is yet to win a Grand Slam and is in his first Australian Open final after Novak Djokovic pulled out from the semifinal after the first set due to an injury. After he pulled out of the semifinal, the fans booed Djokovic.
He won the tightly-contested first set 7-6 (7-5) against the Serb great before the 24-time Grand Slam winner had to pull out. Djokovic had earlier complained of a leg injury in his quarterfinal win over Carlos Alcaraz but clinched a win 4-5, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 over the Spaniard.
Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka will be locking horns against USA's Madison Keys in a bid to defend her title in the women's section. She defeated Paula Badosa in the semifinal, while Keys made her way into the summit clash after her win over Iga Swiatek.