Jannik Sinner to face Alexander Zverev in Australian Open men's final

Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame some third-set cramping and beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-2, 6-2 on Friday in Melbourne to return to the Australian Open final as he seeks a third Grand Slam title.

The No. 1-ranked Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy, fell behind in the opening set and twice was a point from losing it when Shelton served at 6-5. But Sinner broke there, then dominated the ensuing tiebreaker, and broke again to begin the second set.

"It was a very tough first set, but a very crucial one," said Sinner, who ran his winning streak to 20 matches dating to late last season.

Shelton is a 22-year-old American who now is 0-2 in Grand Slam semifinals.

"I know I'm close," he said. "I know my level's close."

Sinner described the matchup against the 21st-seeded Shelton at Melbourne Park as filled with "a lot of tension."

"I'm very happy with how I handled the situation today," Sinner said.

The only trouble he ran into in the last two sets of the 2 1/2-hour contest in Rod Laver Arena was when he clutched at his left hamstring, and then his right thigh, in the third. He was treated by a trainer, who massaged both of Sinner's legs during changeovers.

Sinner is now the youngest man since Jim Courier in 1992-93 to reach consecutive finals at the Australian Open. It was Courier who conducted the post-match interview with Sinner on Friday.

Sinner won his first major title at Melbourne Park a year ago, then grabbed No. 2 at the U.S. Open in September, shortly after being exonerated in a doping case that is still under appeal. There is a hearing scheduled for April.

On Sunday, Sinner will try to add to his trophy haul when he faces No. 2 Alexander Zverev for the championship.

Zverev advanced to his third major final — he is 0-2, with both losses in five sets — when Novak Djokovic quit after one set of their semifinal Friday because of a leg injury.

"Everything can happen. He's an incredible player," Sinner said about Zverev. "He's looking for his first major. There's going to be, again, a lot of tension."

Shelton regretted being unable to close out the initial set.

"I've made my living on tour, so far, serving out sets and being able to serve out sets. Having two set points on my serve, serving at 6-5, I feel like (it was) uncharacteristic for me not to come through and win that," said Shelton, who reached the semifinals at the 2023 U.S. Open. "Obviously you're playing the No. 1 player in the world. The chances, the windows, are always small. Sometimes you miss your window, and the guy steps up his level, starts making a lot more first serves, playing better. The break chances don't come as often."

Djokovic met with boos after decision to quit semifinal

Spectators booed an injured Djokovic as he left the court in Rod Laver Arena after quitting one set into his Australian Open semifinal against Zverev.

Dealing with what he said was a torn muscle, Djokovic lost the opening set 7-6 (5) when he put a forehand volley into the net, then began shaking his head and immediately walked over to tell Zverev the match was over. The 37-year-old Djokovic packed up his equipment and walked off toward the locker room, pausing to respond to the jeers by giving two thumbs-up.

At his news conference, Djokovic said the pain in his taped left leg was "getting worse and worse." He hurt it during his quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday night.

"I knew," Djokovic said, "even if I won the first set, it was going to be a huge uphill battle for me."

He was bidding for an 11th championship at the Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam title overall.

Zverev is 0-2 in major finals; this will be his first at Melbourne Park.

For Djokovic, this is the second time in the past four major tournaments he was unable to finish because of an injury: He withdrew from last year's French Open before the quarterfinals because he tore the meniscus in his right knee during a match.

Djokovic underwent surgery in Paris and, less than two months later, reached the final at Wimbledon, then won a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics.

Zverev, a 27-year-old German, lost finals in five sets at the 2020 U.S. Open and 2024 French Open.

"My goal is still to compete with the big guys and to compete for these kind of tournaments and try to win them," Zverev said. "For that, I need to get better. I need to improve on the court. I need to improve physically."

During his on-court interview, Zverev pleaded with the fans not to give Djokovic a hard time.

"I know that everybody paid for tickets and everybody wants to see hopefully a great five-set match," he said. "But you've got to understand — Novak Djokovic is somebody that has given this sport, for the past 20 years, absolutely everything of his life."