Sinner has battled physical difficulties in the heat to extend his win-streak in Melbourne to 18 matches, a run that includes a semi-final win over Shelton year.
The American eighth seed believes he is a different player now and the left-hander has been in dangerous form, having overcome Casper Ruud in his previous match, but the 23-year-old has a difficult record against Sinner.
Last year, Sinner rolled past Shelton 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 6-2, and he will look to match the gathering pace of rival Carlos Alcaraz after he progressed to his first Australian Open semi-final.
The winner of Sinner and Shelton’s match will play either Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti in Friday’s semi-final.
Sinner v Shelton start time
The men’s quarter-final has been scheduled fourth on Rod Laver Arena, with a not before time of 8am GMT (UK time).
Sinner prefers the night conditions while Shelton has also thrived in the night session slot on the tournament’s main court.
Is the Australian Open on TV?
The tournament will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK as well as online on Discovery+.
In the US, it will be shown live on ESPN and Tennis Channel.
Australian Open order of play
Day Eleven – Wednesday 28 January
Rod Laver Arena
12:30 AM GMT
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ) [5] vs. Iga Swiatek (POL) [2]
- Jessica Pegula (USA) [6] vs. Amanda Anisimova (USA) [4]
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA) [5] vs. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [4]
8:00 AM GMT
- Ben Shelton (USA) [8] vs. Jannik Sinner (ITA) [2]
Sinner v Shelton head-to-head
Shelton’s only victory over Sinner came in their very first meeting in Shanghai in 2023. Since then, Sinner has won eight in a row, including last season’s Australian Open semi-finals and the Wimbledon quarter-finals. Shelton has won their last 19 sets in a row.
What have the players said?
“I think my game is a lot different,” Shelton said. “I think the way that I’m executing, one, at the net is going to be a huge advantage to me. I think the way that I’m mixing things up from the baseline is a lot different than a year ago.
“You’ve got to play offensive tennis to beat the best guys. I think that all those things together are what makes my game a little bit different than where I was at before.”
“I’m in quarterfinals now. I have a very tough match the next one, as Novak has,” Sinner said. “There are positives and negatives. In this sport it can happen.
“He always had quite fast matches also. At times it can also break a little bit the rhythm. In the same time it can give you a bit more energy than the opponent. It depends.
“I think nothing really changed. I’ll watch on my side. I have a tough match in front of my eyes, which is a very tough quarter-finals.”