In the Melbourne quarterfinals, the world number 2 will face the American he has beaten in their last eight encounters.

It is said that to break a curse, you must first rely on reason and a change of perspective. Well, Ben Shelton has recently tried to do both. This is also because he was unlikely to have smiled after discovering that the Melbourne draw could have another match against Sinner in store for him. A nemesis, someone who has not conceded a single set to him in over two years. So, the American shared his recipe for getting closer to Jannik a few days ago, after his victory over Vacherot: “I’m changing something, I’m doing everything perfectly. I feel I’m able to change speed more with my backhand and be more precise with my serve and forehand. And then when I play on a stage like this, I get excited.” Sinner too, no doubt.

Big Ben wants to say Stop. Stop the bleeding, not only of defeats, but also of sets lost to the Italian. Sinner-Shelton’s current record is 8-1. The American had several opportunities last season to write a different story: four encounters, from the first Slam of the year to the Finals in Turin. Yet he lost in all four circumstances, without ever winning a single set. However, in 2025, Shelton achieved the first exploits of his career: a stable top 10 ranking, his debut in the Finals, but above all his first 1000 title in Canada. As he himself admitted after his victory in the round of 16 in Melbourne against Ruud, “I’ve become a fighter, I feel I’ve grown up. And I don’t intend to stop the process there.” Sinner will be the measure of his growth, as he was last year.

Lucky charm?—  Yes, because when the Italian crossed rackets with Ben, he often turned up the volume and never stopped. Shelton has long since become his lucky charm: in the last five occasions, in fact, after a victory against the American, Sinner went on to win the title. It happened in Shanghai in 2024 and then in every match last year: the Australian Open semifinals, the Wimbledon quarterfinals, the quarterfinals in Paris, and the round robin at the Turin Finals. One Italian triumph after another, even if we are talking about an opponent that Jannik always takes with a grain of salt. Because, as he said in Indian Wells a couple of years ago, before their third meeting: “He serves well, he has a great hand. He plays well with his forehand and backhand. And then he’s left-handed…” Not only that, but Shelton is no longer an outsider at the top of the rankings. For at least two seasons now, he has been tipped to step up his game sooner or later and join the Big Two, turning them into the Big Three. In 2025, he gave a small taste of what he is capable of, but now he needs a big win. Like that time in Shanghai.
How many tiebreaks—  Yes, at the beginning, Sinner did not seem to be a curse for the American. In fact, he surprisingly got the better of him in China: in 2023, Ben took home the title in the third-set tiebreak. By the way, 6-6 has become a sensational routine in the matches between him and Jannik, if it is true that in eight of the nine matches between the two, that score has been reached at least once.
The only time it didn’t work for the Italian? In Paris a few months ago, where Sinner closed out the match with a double 6-3. So yes, it’s true that Shelton is someone to be taken with a grain of salt: after all, systematically taking Jannik to a tiebreak is a rare feat.
Shelton has often been guilty of inaccuracy in his matches against the Italian: his violent left hand has at times become uncontrollable even for him, compared to Sinner’s quiet strength, who has often sensed his lapses in concentration and punished him at the most opportune moments. As in Shanghai 2024: seven break points conceded by the South Tyrolean, all canceled out. On the other side of the net: one break point conceded by Ben, promptly converted into gold by Jannik. White coat and scalpel, like a champion. Another masterclass at Wimbledon six months ago, this time in precision: Sinner committed 17 unforced errors in the entire match, Shelton more than double that (38).
It was the same story at the last Australian Open: 26 unforced errors by Jannik, 55 by the American, who ran out of steam after the first very tight set (which lasted 72 minutes and ended in a tiebreak). It is details like these that need to be addressed in order to close a gap that is anything but trivial. He knows this well and thinks about it without stress: “With Sinner, it’s a match where you expect nothing else. Last year in Melbourne, I didn’t do so well against him. But I guarantee you, I’ve worked hard.” We’ll see.