American Shelton Faces Sinner in Australian Open Semifinal Showdown

MELBOURNE, Australia — American tennis star Ben Shelton is one step closer to ending a 22-year drought for U.S. men at the Australian Open, but he must overcome defending champion Jannik Sinner in Friday’s semifinal. The winner will advance to the final, where they will face either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev for the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup.

Shelton, the No. 21 seed, is the last American man remaining in the tournament. He aims to become the first U.S. player to win the Australian Open since Andre Agassi in 2003. Sinner, the world No. 1 and top seed, is seeking his second consecutive Australian Open title and third Grand Slam overall. The Italian star recently defeated Daniil Medvedev in a grueling five-set match to claim the 2024 Australian Open and followed it up with a U.S. Open victory later that year.

“Anytime you get to line up with the best in the world, it’s a great opportunity to improve your game and see where you are at,” Shelton said ahead of the match. Sinner, meanwhile, praised Shelton’s serve, calling him “one of the best servers on tour.”

The semifinal matchup is scheduled for Friday at 3:30 a.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time in Melbourne) and will be broadcast live on ESPN. The Djokovic-Zverev semifinal will take place Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET (2:30 a.m. Friday in Melbourne).

Sinner leads the head-to-head series against Shelton 4-1, with their most recent meeting ending in a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory for Sinner at the Shanghai Masters in October 2023. Despite the lopsided record, Shelton’s lone win came in their first encounter, a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) upset at the same tournament.

Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will earn $2.199 million (approximately $3.5 million Australian dollars), with the runner-up taking home $1.193 million ($1.9 million AUD).

Sinner, 23, has been dominant in recent months, winning 21 consecutive matches since October 2, 2024. He is chasing records set by tennis legends like Björn Borg, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. However, he faces potential challenges off the court, including a pending case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding a positive doping test for Clostebol in 2024. Sinner was initially cleared by an independent court, but the World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the decision.

With three Grand Slam titles at just 23 years old, Sinner is on a trajectory to join the sport’s all-time greats. He has already surpassed milestones set by Djokovic and Federer at the same age and is closing in on Rafael Nadal‘s early-career achievements. Sinner’s dominance on hard courts, including his recent Australian Open and U.S. Open victories, has solidified his status as one of the sport’s brightest stars.

Shelton, 22, represents the next generation of American tennis talent. A victory over Sinner would not only propel him into his first Grand Slam final but also reignite hopes for a resurgence in U.S. men’s tennis on the global stage.