"We are happy": Simone Vagnozzi warns Ben Shelton of 'beast mode' Jannik Sinner ahead of Australian Open semifinal clash

Italy’s young tennis star Jannik Sinner’s co-coach Simone Vagnozzi has warned America’s Ben Shelton ahead of the Australian Open semifinal. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, has cemented his spot in the semifinal of the first Grand Slam of the year after beating Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinal in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2, 6-1.

That win sets up Sinner’s semifinal against America’s Shelton, who registered his spot in the last four after beating another Italian player — Lorenzo Sonego — with a score of 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6. The reigning world number one coach Vagnozzi has been recently quoted in a report in which he warned Shelton about the upcoming encounter. Vagnozzi stated that the two-time Grand Slam is back in a ‘beast mode’.

“Jannik is fine,” he said. “We are happy. The other day in the morning, he was not feeling well, had a headache and stomach ache so we decided not to warm up. Things worsened a bit during the match due to the heat, but nothing to worry about. Playing in the evening against De Minaur helped. And the weather. Apart from a few small errors with his backhand in the first three games, he shifted to 'beast mode’.”

Sinner is defending his crown in Melbourne as he lifted the title last year after beating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. It will be the sixth meeting between the two players in professional tennis. In the previous five meetings, Sinner had a clear advantage with four wins and suffered just one defeat to Shelton. Their most recent meeting was in the fourth round of the Rolex Masters, where the Italian tennis star came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6.