World No. 1 Jannik Sinner aims to record a Wimbledon fourth-round victory over the entertaining Ben Shelton on Sunday.
The Italian followed up his hard-fought win over Matteo Berrettini with a rather more comfortable victory against Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday to set up an exciting match in prospect against Shelton after yet another thrilling five-setter against Denis Shapovalov.
Match preview
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Sinner's consistency in 2024 has been admirable, with progress to the final four hitherto attained by the Italian superstar in every tournament.
While the Madrid Masters was an exception — the 22-year-old withdrew because of a hip injury — no on-court losses have been encountered before semi-finals this year, underscoring his position as the best performer on the ATP Tour.
After rounds one and two followed the same pattern of winning the first two sets and dropping the third before clinching victory in four, everything seemed to come together for Sinner in the previous round against Kecmanovic as he notched a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over the Serbian.
That triumph continued the world No. 1's winning streak on grass, with a first Tour-level title secured in Halle in the lead-up to the top-ranked player's push for a maiden Slam victory on the lawns of Wimbledon.
Observers are already looking forward to a potential semi-final with Carlos Alcaraz — a rematch of the men's singles semi at Roland Garros weeks back — but Sinner cannot afford to look that far ahead against the threat of his American opponent.
Shelton undoubtedly packs a punch and has shown incredible resilience to be victorious in three consecutive five-set matches at the Championships this year.
Despite rain interruptions, the 21-year-old American has edged Mattia Bellucci, Lloyd Harris and Shapovalov in wildly exciting matches, with the latest seeing the effervescent youngster winning 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 with eight-time champion Roger Federer in attendance.
It remains to be seen what the American has left in the tank having been on court on five of the opening six days of the Championships, but the fearless world No. 14 is excited by the prospect of facing Sinner on Sunday.
Having advanced to a Grand Slam quarter-final and semi-final on hard courts at the Australian Open (2023) and US Open (2023), the 21-year-old is bidding to reach the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time in only his second appearance.
With last year's second-round exit far behind him, Shelton aims to get the better of one of the pre-Championships favourites in their fourth match-up.
Tournament so far
Jannik Sinner:
First round: vs. Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3
Second round: vs. Matteo Berrettini 7-6[3] 7-6[4] 2-6 7-6[4]
Third round: vs. Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 6-4 6-2
Ben Shelton:
First round: vs. Mattia Bellucci 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4
Second round: vs. Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6[5] 6-7[5] 6-3 7-6[10-7]
Third round: vs. Denis Shapovalov 6-7[4] 6-2 6-4 4-6 6-2
Head To Head
Shanghai Masters 1000 (2023) - Round of 16: Shelton 2-6 6-3 7-6(5)
Vienna (2023) - Round of 32: Sinner 7-6(2) 7-5
Indian Wells (2024) - Round of 16: Sinner 7-6(4) 6-1
Sunday's fourth-round match at Wimbledon will be the pair's fourth on Tour, with Sinner leading Shelton 2-1.
The previous three meetings have been outside the Slams, even if their first and third came at Masters 1000 events. The American triumphed in their first match-up in the Shanghai Masters but Sinner has claimed the recent two in straight sets in Vienna last year and Indian Wells months back.
We say: Sinner to win in four sets
Despite winning hearts with three gripping five-set matches en route to a first Wimbledon fourth-round, it remains to be seen if Shelton is running on empty before pitting his wits against the world No. 1.
While he could claim a set against the top-ranked player, securing a shock win is unlikely against the most consistent performer on the men's Tour in 2024.
