Jannik Sinner has outlined where Ben Shelton fell short in their Australian Open semi-final.
The World number one is into his second successive final at Melbourne Park following a 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 victory against the American.
The Italian made a slow start but he prevented Ben Shelton from successfully serving for the first set, before coming back to win it on a tiebreak.
It was one-way from traffic from that point on as Shelton made multiple errors while Jannik Sinner kept his cool to wrap up sets two and three and move within three sets of defending his title.
What did Jannik Sinner think Ben Shelton did not do well at the Australian Open?
Shelton earned a set point on his own serve, but he failed to capitalise on the opportunity.
He then managed to win just two points in the first set tiebreak, and claimed just four more games for the rest of the semi-final as Sinner booked his spot in Sunday’s Australian Open final.
Furthermore, Shelton made just 59% of his first serves against Sinner which was his joint lowest serving percentage of the tournament, which he also achieved against Brandon Nakashima in round one.
Post-match Sinner assessed his performance while also explaining how he felt his opponent did not reach his usual standards on serve.
“It was a very tough first set but a very crucial one. I felt that he was not serving at his best today,” Sinner said about Shelton. “His percentage wasn’t where he wanted it to be and I think we both actually returned better than we served.
“The first set is always very important, it gives you a bit of confidence. There was a bit of tension for both of us. I am very happy with how I handled the situation today.”
Jannik Sinner comments on his and Ben Shelton’s fitness levels
Sinner did not produce a vintage performance against Shelton, despite winning in straight sets.
He called the trainer during his semi-final and so did Shelton as they battled under the lights on Rod Laver Arena.
Sinner said he was suffering from cramp and seemed to be feeling his hip toward the end of the third set, but he was pleased to finish the match in three sets and recover before Sunday’s final against Alexander Zverev.
“A lot of tension today, slightly cramps, but also he was suffering a little bit on his leg so I tried to move him around, stay a bit more aggressive which today helped a lot,” he added.
“These matches can go very long, for three sets, two and a half hours is quite a time so I am very happy to finish today in three.”
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