Madison Keys v Elina Svitolina; Emma Navarro v Iga Swiatek; Ben Shelton v Lorenzo Sonego; Jannik Sinner v Alex De Minaur results, scores, schedule, draw, how to watch
One of tennis’s most respected analysts is convinced Alex de Minaur can at last conquer Jannik Sinner and gatecrash the Australian Open semi-finals.
De Minaur takes on Sinner at Rod Laver Arena tonight having lost all nine previous encounters with the world No.1 and defending Open champion, dropping the past seven matches without even winning a set.
Australian strategist Craig O’Shannessy believes Sinner is more vulnerable right now – and not only because of the Italian’s ill health.
Alex de Minaur advances to the quarter-finals.Credit: Getty Images
O’Shannessy, who helped Novak Djokovic to four grand slam titles while working with the Serb from 2017 to 2019, has noticed a sharp improvement in de Minaur’s attacking mindset and tactics.
“De Minaur’s got a couple of things in his favour,” O’Shannessy said.
“Firstly, remember he got sick yesterday. I don’t know what it was but he certainly got the jitters.
“Number two is that Demon is winning 56 per cent of his baseline points, which is higher than Sinner, who’s at 55 per cent. It’s close but a 1 per cent advantage from the baseline is a big deal. So I see more offence. He looks more potent from the back of the court, making opponents uncomfortable.
“He’s rolling through the tournament with more confidence, and you just feel the tables have turned a bit.
“While Sinner was surging, it doesn’t feel like Sinner is surging at the moment. But it feels like Demon is surging.”
AAP
