Australian Open: 'I know I'm close' – Shelton

Jannik Sinner might have dispatched Ben Shelton in straight sets, but the American feels he is not far away from competing for a major title.

Shelton forced a first-set tie-break in his Australian Open semi-final against the world number one on Friday, yet was ultimately soundly beaten.

Sinner prevailed 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2 to set up a chance to defend his title on Sunday, when he will face Alexander Zverev.

It will be the first final between the ATP's number one and number two at the Australian Open since 2019, when Novak Djokovic overcame Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

Shelton, meanwhile, can reflect on a second run to a grand slam semi-final.

He has lost his last five matches against Sinner, but the 22-year-old does not feel he is too far away from matching the elite players.

"I know I'm close. I know my level is close," said Shelton, who squandered a set point in the opener.

"I know I have a lot of the stuff that I need. I certainly believe in myself. I just think that the reps against those guys, the consistency of playing those guys, playing a lot of matches in a week or a couple of weeks, that will be the goal this year for me.

"I think that those guys, Sinner, [Carlos] Alcaraz, Novak... Since I've been on tour, the guys that have been dominating the slams.

"On their bad days they're still winning in three sets, winning in four sets. They figure it out.

20 - Jannik Sinner has won his last 20 matches setting his longest career winning streak (19 wins in a row between the Davis Cup 2023 and Indian Wells 2024). Streak.#AO2025 | @AustralianOpen @atptour pic.twitter.com/ZvSyyD6olN
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 24, 2025

"I'm getting closer to being able to do that. Not having a good serving day or serving week and having a great tournament is a huge positive for me.

"It's like being able to recognise the flaws in what I did, in my game, against some of these guys, being able to go back to the drawing board. It gives me a lot of confidence.

"I'm disappointed because I wanted to see where this match ended up. I win that first set, and kind of get into the depths of it, deep in the fourth or the fifth, which should have been possible with where I was at in the first set, serving with set points.

"Next time I'm out there with set points, I'm going to hit the ace."

While Shelton knows he has work to do, he feels he has shown he can thrive in the big moments.

He added: "I'm happy that in the big moments or big atmospheres I don't panic. I just go out there and go to work and start playing.

"All that you can hope for this late in the tournament is to be in a great place mentally, your body still together physically, and just go out there and compete as hard as you can.

"So for me, it's a work in progress. I think that's something that I do handle well. I handle the big matches or the big moments well.

"As long as my tennis keeps improving, my fitness keeps improving, I like the spot that I'm going to be in for the rest of this year and moving forward in my career."