Jannik Sinner advanced to his second successive Australian Open semi-final with a convincing win over Alex de Minaur.
The defending champion made light work of his quarter-final opponent, as he made his way into the semis of the Australian Open with a three-set win.
Sinner was dominant against De Minaur, dropping just six games, as he won 6-3, 6-2, 6-1, against the 25-year-old.
The Italian silenced the crowd on Rod Laver Arena for much of the encounter, who had hoped to see De Minaur produce an unlikely upset against the world number one.
The crowds in Australia have been subject to criticism this year, particularly after Jack Draper’s win over Thanasi Kokkinakis, where fans booed the British star throughout.
With Sinner taking on the lone Aussie left in the tournament, many expected the crowd to be against the defending champion, although he has now explained how he felt the fans treated him during the match.
Jannik Sinner says the Australian Open crowd was ‘very respectful’ during win over Alex de Minaur
During his post-match press conference, Sinner gave his thoughts on the Australian Open crowds.
“I like the conditions here to play, and the crowd is amazing,” he said.
“It was very respectful today, knowing that playing against Alex [de Minaur] here, it’s not easy.
“You know, I’m just trying to enjoy this moment, and then we see how it goes.”
While the crowd has been a big topic of discussion this week, so have the conditions, with Iga Swiatek making her feelings heard on the difference between day and night sessions.
Following his win over De Minaur, Sinner explained how he felt about the conditions at this year’s tournament.
“Today was very, very windy, in the evening dropped a little bit the wind, so it was a bit easier to play,” he said.
“When I played the second-round match in the evening, it was quite windy, so, you know, it depends.
“In the other way it also depends on what kind of opponent you play, every day is different, every opponent is different.
“I like day sessions, for example, because if you win, then you have a little bit more time to recover, but I also like night sessions because against certain players it’s a bit different, no, to play.
“You know, whatever comes, I try to be ready.”
Sinner was certainly ready for Wednesday’s encounter with De Minaur, as he produce a stunning display to book his place in the last four.
Jannik Sinner secures first top-ten win of 2025 in Australian Open quarter-final
To be the best you have to beat the best, something that Sinner learned in 2024, as he dominated the top players on tour to finish the year as world number one.
Securing a top-ten win is always difficult, and for many lower-ranked players on the ATP Tour, it can often be the highlight of their career.
For Sinner, he will be hoping that today’s win over De Minaur was the first of many this year, as he looks to improve on the incredible tally he achieve last time round.
| Year | Top-ten wins | Highest ranked win |
| 2025 | 1 | 8 – Alex de Minaur (Australian Open QF) |
| 2024 | 18 | 1 – Novak Djokovic (Australian Open SF) |
| 2023 | 13 | 1 – Carlos Alcaraz (Miami Open SF)/ Novak Djokovic (ATP Finals RR/Davis Cup SF) |
| 2022 | 3 | 5 – Carlos Alcaraz (Croatia Open F) |
| 2021 | 3 | 7 – Andrey Rublev (Barcelona Open QF) |
| 2020 | 3 | 6 – Stefanos Tsitsipas (Italian Open 2R) |
Sinner scored 18 top-ten wins in 2024, a number that isn’t too far off what we saw from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer during their prime years.
- Novak Djokovic (2015) – 31 top ten wins
- Rafael Nadal (2013) – 24 top ten wins
- Roger Federer (2006) – 19 top ten wins
- Jannik Sinner (2024) – 18 top ten wins
Just one more win would have seen him level with Federer, who dominated the tour in 2006, reaching all four Grand Slam finals, taking home three Major titles.
However, when compared to his biggest rivals on tour in 2025, he has them all covered by some distance, as neither Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, or Daniil Medvedev have won more than 12 matches against top-ten opponents in any single season of their careers to date.
Perhaps luckily for Sinner, he won’t have to worry about picking up another top-ten win in his next match, as he comes up against world number 20 Ben Shelton in the semi-finals.
Sinner will face off against Shelton at Rod Laver Arena, on Friday, January 24, for a place in Sunday’s final.
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