Jannik Sinner beat Ben Shelton in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the Australian Open final.
The Italian world number one will compete in his second Australian Open final, having won his first Major title in Melbourne last year.
Sinner beat Shelton without dropping a set, as he overpowered the young American, who was competing in his first semi-final down under.
Sinner has looked impressive throughout the tournament, winning all but two of his contests in straight sets, extending his ATP Tour winning run to 20 matches in the process.
He will face off against Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final, who was the beneficiary of a Novak Djokovic injury in the first semi, as he retired after just one set.
Ahead of the final, Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill has revealed what one of the sports’ greatest ever players thinks about the world number one.
Darren Cahill says Andre Agassi is a ‘big fan’ of Jannik Sinner and ‘loves the way he plays’
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Cahill revealed the contents of a phone call he had with eight-time Major champion Andre Agassi earlier in the day.
“We spoke to Andre [Agassi] today by coincidence,” he said.
“He’s a big fan of Jannik’s [Sinner], loves the ways he plays.
“Always hearing words from him about what he sees from Jannik’s game and where the improvements are coming from and where he still feels there could be more improvement in Jannik’s game.
“We got into a deep conversation at lunchtime today, I left that conversation, we got to play the semis tonight, so we’ll have this conversation later.”
Cahill then compared the two players, having coached both of them to Grand Slam titles.
“They play similar in ways, but in other ways completely different.
“No two players are the same, no two players see a tennis match the same way.
“I think that Andre is an incredible champion of the game who won eight Majors, every Major, and a gold medal.
“So Jannik is far from that, he’s on the way, like a couple of other players as well.
“There are similarities but they’re also very different people.”
How far away is Jannik Sinner from matching Andre Agassi’s tennis achievements?
Cahill may have suggested that Sinner is ‘far’ from matching Agassi’s achievements in the sport, but is that really the case?
Both have won Grand Slam titles and held the number-one ranking during their time on the tour, so is there really that much to separate them?
| Name | Grand Slam titles | ATP Finals wins | Davis Cup wins | Olympic Gold medals | Weeks at world number one |
| Andre Agassi | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 101 |
| Jannik Sinner | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33* |
In reality, Sinner could still have quite a way to go, trailing the American by six Slams and over 60 weeks at number one.
A gap that could quickly shorten, however, as Sinner has the opportunity to pick up a third Major on Sunday, and in doing so would further extend his gap at the top of the world rankings.
Sinner’s win over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals in 2024, matched Agassi’s achievements at the event, as he took home the title in Frankfurt, 35 years ago.
His successes with Italy at the Davis Cup also have him chasing down Agassi, needing just one more title to level things up between the pair.
Sinner will, however, need to bring home an Olympic Gold, to match Agassi, something he is yet to do, having missed the event in 2024.
Agassi is, of course, one of the greatest to ever do it, and Sinner being able to compete in just a few of those categories is a testament to his ability at just 23 years of age.
Sinner will look to win his third Grand Slam title when he takes on Zverev at Rod Laver Arena, on Sunday, January 26.
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