Reigning Australian Open men's singles champion Jannik Sinner survived a third-set injury scare to defeat Ben Shelton and set up a tantalising final with Alexander Zverev.
The world number one prevailed 7-6[2] 6-2 6-2 against his American foe to move one match away from defending his crown Down Under, although he was not entirely comfortable during the final set.
After hitting a two-handed backhand off the ground, Sinner grimaced as he landed and was noticeably limping as he made his way back to the baseline, eventually needing treatment on his thigh.
The top seed did not look entirely comfortable for the remainder of the match, but he still ran into few difficulties against Shelton, breaking to love in the penultimate game before converting his first match point.
Chasing his second straight Australian Open title and third consecutive Grand Slam crown on hard courts, Sinner has now won a staggering 20 major matches in a row on the surface, the second-youngest man to do so in the Open Era after a 22-year-old John McEnroe in 1981.
Also the youngest man to reach successive Australian Open finals since the turn of the millennium, Sinner must now pass a Zverev-sized test if he is to retain his title after the German's semi-final with Novak Djokovic ended prematurely.
Djokovic admits he might have played last Australian Open
© Imago
Zverev took the first set 7-65] against the 24-time major winner before Djokovic called it quits, after which his exit from the court was met with a mixture of applause and boos from the Australian crowd.
After ceding his chances of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title due to injury, Djokovic affirmed in his press conference that he is intending to compete in Melbourne again, but he could not offer any guarantees.
Asked if he may have played his last Australian Open match, Djokovic replied: "I don't know. There is a chance. Who knows? I'll just have to see how the season goes. I want to keep going, but whether I'm going to have a revised schedule or not for the next year, I'm not sure.
"I normally like to come to Australia and play and I've had the biggest success in my career here. So if I'm fit, healthy, motivated, I don't see a reason why I wouldn't come. But there's always a chance [it is the last time], yeah."
Before Zverev and Sinner compete for glory on Sunday, Madison Keys will attempt to deny Aryna Sabalenka a third straight crown in the women's singles competition in Saturday's final.
Ben Knapton
