ATP
Sinner seals sweep over Shelton with wrapup win
Jannik Sinner rolled Ben Shelton for the eighth time in nine matches on Friday, with the Italian now poised for his ATP Finals last-four showdown with Alex de Minaur in Turin.
The Italian completed group play with a perfect 3-0 record, never losing serve and winning his last 16 matches at the year-ender where he is defending the 2024 title.
Sinner, who will finish second his season behind rival Carlos Alcaraz, claimed his 29th consecutive victory on indoor hardcourt, a surface he last lost on in 2023.
The 24-year-old from Italy’s German-speaking northern alpine region, advanced to the semi-finals with 27 winners in 90 minutes.
American Shelton leaves Turin with losses in all three of his group matches; he saved a match point in the tenth game of the second set before it went into a tiebreaker.
Sinner raced away to 4-1 and claimed victory on his second match point 16 minutes after his first to the cheers of a home crowd.
“To win all three group matches you have to play at a high level – which I’ve done,” he said. “We showed some great tennis.
“I served well on the important points, that’s what brought me to this point. This is a special moment for me, playing in front of an Italian crowd.”
Sinner added: “It’s a tough challenge against Ben, you have to take the little chances that you have against his serve.
“You must accept that he has a huge serve and never give up. My mental aspect has been great so far, so let’s see what will happen.”
Sinner suffered his only loss to semi-final opponent De Minaur 24 months ago at Paris Bercy and has since won seven straight meetings.
The Aussie reached the semis here as he won his first match after two Turin appearances and four defeats.
“I’m happy for him, ” Sinner said. “Props to him for coming back with an incredible performance (Thursday) against (Taylor) Fritz).
“I have to be very careful: he has nothing to lose and I have a lot to lose. This is a special occasion for me and I hope I can show some good tennis.”