The world’s top two players will go head to head for the men’s title at Australian Open 2025 after a dramatic semifinal day at Melbourne Park.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner tamed the talent of Ben Shelton with a 7-6 (2) 6-2 6-2 victory, while Alexander Zverev advanced to his first final in Australia when 10-time champion Novak Djokovic quit through injury one set into their semifinal.
American left-hander Shelton brought his box of tricks to Rod Laver Arena but once he failed to take one of his two set points on serve at 6-5 in the opening set, Sinner shut the door on his hopes and roared away for victory.
“It was a very tough first set,” Sinner said. “I’m happy to finish today in three. Very happy to be back in the final here, and then we will see what’s happening on Sunday.”
Zverev is through to his third Grand Slam final, Djokovic pulling the plug immediately after losing the first set of their semifinal in a tiebreak due to the muscle tear in his left thigh he suffered during his win over Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round.
“I knew even if I won the first set, that it's going to be a huge uphill battle for me to stay physically fit enough to stay with him in the rallies for another, God knows what, two, three, four hours,” Djokovic said. “I don't think I had that, unfortunately, today in the tank.”
Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend will take on No.3 Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko in the women’s doubles final.
Siniakova and Townsend were pushed hard before beating Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 6-7(4) 6-4 6-3, while Hsieh and Ostapenko also went three, beating Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3.
The junior finals were also settled. Swiss Henry Bernet, who hails from the same club as Roger Federer in Basel, beat Oskari Paldanius of Finland 7-6(6) 6-2 while Benjamin Willwerth upset Jagger Leach, the son of Lindsay Davenport, 6-7(4) 6-4 6-2.
The girls’ final will be between American Kristina Penickova and Wakana Sonobe. Penickova beat Mia Pohankova of Slovakia 6-4 4-6 7-5, while Sonobe dashed the hopes of home favourite and top seed Emerson Jones, winning through 6-3 6-4.
British pair Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won their sixth consecutive men’s wheelchair crown here, beating the unseeded pair of Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi and veteran Frenchman Stephane Houdet 6-2 6-4.
China won its first Grand Slam title in wheelchair tennis as Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying beat Zhu Zhenzhen of China and Manami Tanaka of Japan 6-2 6-3.
Britain’s Andy Lapthorne won his eighth Australian Open quads title, partnering Sam Schroder to a 6-1 6-4 victory over top seeds Guy Sasson and Niels Vink.
Luna Gryp and Vitoria Miranda beat Sabina Czauz and Ailina Mosko 6-1 6-1 to win the junior wheelchair doubles title, while the boys crown went to Luiz Calixto and Charlie Cooper, beating Alexander Lantermann and Ben Wenzel 6-3 6-0.