Earlier in the day, Iga Swiatek cruised past Emma Navarro 6-1, 6-2 in their Women’s Singles quarter-final while Madison Keys secured a surprising 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Elina Svitolina to set up a meeting with Swiatek tomorrow.

A semi-final against American Ben Shelton – the lowest-ranked player left in the draw – looms for Sinner, who will avoid 10-time champion Novak Djokovic and second seed Alexander Zverev in the last four. That draw and this performance has brought him tantalisingly close to defending his Australian Open crown.