Jannik Sinner battles 'tension and cramps' to reach Australian Open final as Laura Robson makes 'scary' claim

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Jannik Sinner progressed into the final of the Australian Open, but had to overcome "a lot of tension and cramps" as he beat Ben Shelton, the 21st seed, on Rod Laver Arena in straight sets. The Italian came through 7-6(2) 6-2 6-2 in two hours and 37 minutes, but called the trainer onto the court in the third set. He faces world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the final, after Novak Djokovic's retiremen

Sinner's title defence rolls on with semi-final win over Shelton - Australian Open highlights

Video credit: TNT Sports

Jannik Sinner admits he battled "a lot of tension and cramps" en route to reaching the Australian Open final.

The world No. 1 beat Ben Shelton in straight sets on Rod Laver Arena, triumphing 7-6(2) 6-2 6-2 in two hours and 37 minutes.

The defending champion set up a meeting with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final - which will be live on Eurosport and discovery+ - after the German benefitted from an early Novak Djokovic retirement in the first semi-final on Friday.

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Zverev had won the first set tie-break 7-5 before Djokovic offered his hand in defeat at the net after struggling with a muscle tear in his left leg.

It was not all plain sailing for Sinner, either, as the Italian called for the physio during the third set against Shelton.

"It was a very tough first set. A very crucial one," he said.

"I felt like he [Shelton] was not at his best today, the percentage was not where he wanted it to be. We both returned better than we served.

"First sets are always very important, giving you confidence. There was a lot of tension for both of us. I’m very happy with how I handled the situation today and happy to be back in the final.

"A lot of tension and cramps today. He was suffering today in his legs. I tried to move him around and stay more aggressive, which helped a lot.

"These matches can go very long. Three sets in two and a half hours is quite a long time. So I’m happy to finish today in three. I’m very happy to be back in the final. We’ll see what’s coming on Sunday."

'Tension for both of us' admits Sinner as he battles cramps to win through

Video credit: TNT Sports

'Scary' that Sinner is yet to hit peak - Robson

Eurosport expert Laura Robson remarked that it was "scary" that Sinner had not yet hit his peak in Melbourne, but had still made the final for the second year running.

"The scary thought is that I don’t think he’s played his best match of the tournament there," Robson said after his semi-final victory.

"He still won in straight sets in just over two and a half hours, which is absolutely all you could ask for, to go into a match-up like this and spend as little time as possible out there ahead of Sunday’s final.

"He probably played better a few days ago, and he has been patchy throughout the tournament, but his level at patchy is still 20 times better than most people’s level of tennis can ever be."

Watch worrying moment Sinner starts to limp in semi-final

Video credit: TNT Sports

Fellow Eurosport pundit Tim Henman lamented Shelton’s inconsistency, but praised the elevation of Sinner’s performance in the dying embers of the match.

"In the back of Sinner’s mind, he had to maintain the intensity because he did not want to get dragged into a fourth set, certainly not a fifth," Henman said.

"In the last five games, he was even more aggressive, taking the ball down the line and really looking to dictate. 7-6 6-2 6-2 looks straight forward, but it felt a bit closer than that."