Jannik Sinner vs Alex de Minaur: How world number one dashed local hopes

Jannik Sinner sent a warning to the rest of the Australian Open semi-finalists with a dominant performance over Alex de Minaur in the quarter-finals. The world No. 1 delivered a clinical 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 victory in just 108 minutes, showing no signs of the illness that had affected him in earlier rounds. This was a performance that left his rivals on notice, with Sinner playing at a level that could make anyone uneasy.

In the semi-finals, Sinner will face American Ben Shelton, the lowest-ranked player remaining in the draw. This favourable matchup, combined with his dazzling performance against De Minaur, has brought Sinner tantalisingly close to defending his Australian Open crown.

“I’m very happy about my performance today,” said Sinner, who has now beaten De Minaur 10 times in a row. “We know each other quite well, having played so many times last year. We try to understand each other’s game and prepare in the best way possible.”

His words barely captured the true nature of his dominance. Sinner completely dismantled De Minaur, a player renowned for his defensive skills. While De Minaur can typically rely on his quickness and defensive prowess to frustrate opponents, Sinner’s powerful groundstrokes were simply too much. The Australian was unable to match his opponent, and the packed Rod Laver Arena was left in stunned silence.

De Minaur had become the first local player to reach the men’s quarter-finals at Melbourne Park since Nick Kyrgios a decade ago, and his steady improvement had led him to the quarters of all four Grand Slams in recent years. However, his serve has been a weak point in recent matches, and that became evident early against Sinner. His first serve percentage hovered around 50%, and Sinner seized the opportunity, breaking De Minaur in the fourth game of the match.

The crowd, eager for an Australian success, seemed increasingly deflated as De Minaur struggled to make an impact. Despite trying to be more aggressive in the second set, De Minaur could not find a way through Sinner’s relentless hitting. He had a brief chance for a break point in the second set, but a costly error ended that hope, and a well-executed drop shot from Sinner sealed the game.

In the third set, Sinner surged ahead, breaking De Minaur three times in just 30 minutes to wrap up the match in commanding fashion. It was a painful end for De Minaur, who had high expectations for himself at his home Grand Slam but was outclassed by the world No. 1.

With this win, Sinner becomes the first Italian player, male or female, to reach the semi-finals at Melbourne Park on multiple occasions. After a stellar 2024 season, where he won two Grand Slam titles, his performance suggests 2025 could be even more successful.

Looking ahead to his semi-final against Shelton, Sinner said, “He’s one of the best servers on tour, left-handed, with a different spin. I hope I’m ready and I can return as many serves as possible, while staying focused on my game, like today.”

When the two players met at the net, De Minaur simply said, “Too good.” The Australian walked off with his head down, acknowledging the supportive but disappointed crowd, perhaps in silent thanks or a prayer.