Jannik Sinner joins exclusive club with win over Alex de Minaur

Jannik Sinner has emulated the feats of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer with yet another dominant display at the 2025 Australian Open. The world No. 1 produced a stunning performance on Rod Laver Arena, dismantling Australian home favorite Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-2 6-1 to book his place in the semifinals.

At just 23 years and 159 days old, Sinner has become the youngest man to reach consecutive semifinals at Melbourne Park since Rafael Nadal achieved the feat in 2008 and 2009. His Australian Open record now stands at 20-4, equaling the fewest matches required to reach 20 wins at the tournament since 2000–a record held by Federer and Nadal.

Sinner has also equaled one more record shared between the Big 3. The Italian has now reached three consecutive hard-court Grand Slam semifinals, following his title-winning runs at the Australian Open and the U.S. Open last year. He is looking to join Djokovic and Federer in the modern era to lift three consecutive Grand Slam titles on hard courts. Federer achieved that in 2005 and 2006, whereas Djokovic did that in 2011 and 2012. It should also be mentioned that alongside Federer and Djokovic, only Andre Agassi has defended the Australian Open title in this century.

Sinner’s dominance in 2025 has further solidified his status among the sport’s elite. The Italian has become only the second male player in the Open Era, after Djokovic, to win his first 16 matches against opponents at their home Grand Slam event. Now a two-time major champion, Sinner will face world No. 20 Ben Shelton in the semifinals, holding a 4-1 advantage in their previous encounters.

Meanwhile, de Minaur’s Australian Open dreams ended abruptly with yet another one-sided defeat. The world No. 8 now holds a 0-10 record against Sinner and has failed to win a single set in his four Grand Slam quarter-final appearances.

Despite concerns over his fitness earlier in the tournament, Sinner has dismissed any health worries and looks poised to continue his historic run in Melbourne. With his latest victory, the World No. 1 has firmly established himself as a dominant force in men’s tennis, following in the footsteps of the legendary Big 3.