World number one Jannik Sinner shrugged off injury fears to cruise past Ben Shelton in straight sets on Wednesday, booking a spot in the Wimbledon semi-finals where he will face either Novak Djokovic or Flavio Cobolli.
Wearing a protective sleeve on his right arm, Sinner showed few signs of discomfort during his 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final win over the 10th-seeded American, wrapping up the match in two hours and 19 minutes on Court One.
The 23-year-old Italian had sparked concern after suffering an arm injury in his previous match against Grigor Dimitrov, during which he trailed by two sets before the Bulgarian retired with a muscle injury. Sinner limited his training to just 20 minutes on Tuesday and underwent a scan, but showed resilience and poise to reach his second consecutive semi-final at the All England Club.
“You know, when you’re in a match with so much tension, you try not to think about it,” Sinner said of his injury after the win. “It has improved a lot since yesterday. Still, there are no excuses. There’s no better stage to play tennis, and I think I showed that today. The atmosphere really helped me—thank you for the support.”
Sinner made history by becoming the first Italian man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals more than once, following his 2023 run. The three-time Grand Slam champion is chasing his first final at SW19 after falling just short in the French Open last month, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz despite holding a two-set lead and three match points.
Shelton, 22, had already made headlines by surpassing the Wimbledon record of his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, who reached the last 16 three decades ago. But the younger Shelton couldn’t match Sinner’s precision and power, especially in the key moments.
The opening set was fiercely contested, lasting 52 minutes, with both players exchanging heavy blows before Sinner edged the tiebreak. Shelton required ankle treatment late in the set and struggled to regain rhythm.
Sinner secured the crucial break in the 10th game of the second set to take control of the match. The third set remained on serve until Shelton faltered under pressure in the final game. Sinner needed three match points before sealing victory when the American sent a forehand long.
Now just one win away from reaching a fourth straight Grand Slam final, Sinner awaits the winner of Djokovic vs. Cobolli in what promises to be a blockbuster semi-final.
