Sinner races into semis as Swiatek closes on first Melbourne crown
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Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return against Australia's Alex De Minaur during their men's singles quarter-final match on day eleven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Wednesday. —AFP/File
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MELBOURNE: Defending champion Janic Sinner stormed into the semi-finals of the Australian Open in style on Wednesday after Iga Svetek was as ruthless as ever to close in on the Melbourne crown.
The Italian world number one stunner silenced Rod Laver Arena with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 win over an outclass home hope Alex De Manor to set up a meeting with 21st seed Ben Shelton. The other semi-final is between 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and world number two Alexander Zverev, both on Friday.
During his four-set win over Holger Rooney on Monday, Sunner felt dizzy in the sweltering afternoon heat. But in much cooler evening conditions the 23-year-old returned to his impressive form against the eighth seed De Manor, who has yet to beat the Sunner in 10 matches.
“Today I felt like I was feeling everything,” Sinner said. “On days like this and you break down pretty quickly in each set, it’s a little easier.” The junior is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time since defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. He also won the US Open last year.
De Manor admitted he had no answers on the night, saying: “He was great tonight.” The 22-year-old American Shelton defeated unseeded Italian Lorenzo 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in Melbourne to reach the semi-finals for the first time. Sonego.
The left-handed Shelton produced an all-action display to match his best performance at a major since reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 US Open. Shelton produced the joint fastest serve of the tournament, a monster ace of 232kph (144mph), and then set fire to the televised post-match interviews that the winners do on court.
“I think broadcasters should help us raise our game and help players who have just won matches on the biggest stage to enjoy their biggest moments,” he said. said He called some of the interviews “embarrassing” and “disrespectful”.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Svetek edged closer to a maiden Australian Open crown with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 victory over American eighth seed Emma Navarro on a brisk Rod Laver Arena.
The 23-year-old world number two, who is at her peak, will play American 19th seed Madison Keys in the women’s semi-finals, both on Thursday. Two-time defending champion and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka plays Spain’s 11th seed Paula Badosa in the other final.
Swiatek looks disgusting. She has yet to drop a set and has dropped just 14 games in her five matches — seven of them in her first-round clash against Katerina Siniakova. “Madison is a great player and experienced so you never know,” Switek warned.
“It will be difficult, I will only focus on myself. She has already played a good tournament here and we know very well how she can play. Svetek is 2-2 in the second set against Navarro. Enjoyed a moment of good luck.
Navarro played a drop shot that forced Poole into a desperate slide to retrieve the ball, which he thought he did, until replays showed it bounced twice. . The American was left distraught as he pleaded with the chair umpire to review the video to see what had happened.
But he was denied, waiting until the end of the point instead of challenging immediately and stopping the game. “It’s hard. I think we should be able to see him later and make that call,” Naru said.
Keys came back from a set down in her quarter-final to beat Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Keys moved into the last four for the third time at Melbourne Park in 10 years.
“It feels great. I’m really, really proud of myself to be here in another semi-final and kind of hopeful and looking forward to seeing if I can take it a step further,” she said. Said Keys, who turns 30 next month, is on a 10-match unbeaten run after winning the Adelaide title.
