Jannik Sinner’s only challenge en route to the Australian Open quarterfinals did not come in the form of any specific opponent.
That story could change on Wednesday.
Brutal weather conditions were what came close to taking down the two-time defending champion in round three. On Wednesday, heat should not be a problem; now it’s the player on the other side of the net who poses a threat.
Although Sinner is dominating his head-to-head series with Ben Shelton 8-1, the American’s huge-hitting game makes him dangerous on any given day. Shelton was exactly that in their first-ever encounter, when the American pulled off a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) upset at the 2023 Shanghai Masters. Since then, however, it has been all Sinner. The Italian’s eight-match winning streak includes 17 consecutive sets won, although Shelton at least managed to force tiebreakers in seven of those 17 sets. They most recently squared off a couple of months ago at the Nitto ATP Finals, where Sinner prevailed 6-3, 7-6(3).
This also marks a rematch of the 2025 Aussie Open semifinals, in which Sinner scored a 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 victory on his way to a second consecutive title.
Shelton, though, looks like an even more complete player 12 months later. The 23-year-old is up to No. 7 in the world and would almost certainly be even higher if not for a shoulder injury sustained at the U.S. Open. He has been an especially consistent force at Grand Slams. In 2025, Shelton’s only non-retirement loss prior to a quarterfinal came against Carlos Alcaraz in round four at Roland Garros. The former NCAA singles champion finds himself back in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park following convincing wins over Ugo Humbert, Dane Sweeny, Valentin Vacherot, and Casper Ruud. Shelton is now 15-3 lifetime at this event.
Sinner came perilously close to exiting this tournament on Saturday, when he was at one set apiece with Eliot Spizzirri, down a break in the third, and cramping in both his hands and legs. But that’s when the heat rule came into effect, the roof over Rod Laver Arena was closed, and the rest is history. Sinner was an entirely different player the rest of the way and got the job done against Spizzirri 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The world No. 2 has also advanced with straight-set defeats of Hugo Gaston, James Duckworth, and Luciano Darderi. Sinner is on an 18-match winning streak in Melbourne and is 35-3 in his last 38 sets dating back to the 2024 final against Daniil Medvedev.
This feels like it will be a relatively typical Sinner-Shelton result, with the underdog throwing everything but the kitchen sink at his nemesis only to come up a little bit short in the pressure moments. A tiebreaker or even two should be expected, but Sinner will almost certainly have the upper hand.
Pick: Sinner in 3