Melbourne, Jan 24 (Reporter) Jannik Sinner, the defending Australian Open men’s singles champion, secured his place in the final with a commanding straight-sets victory over American Ben Shelton here on Friday night. The top seed triumphed 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2 in their semifinal at Rod Laver Arena, extending his impressive run at Melbourne Park. Sinner, who claimed his second Grand Slam title at last year’s Australian Open, needed 2 hours and 36 minutes to dismiss Shelton and improve his Grand Slam semifinal record to 3-2. The Italian will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final after the German advanced earlier in the day. Zverev took advantage of a first-set injury withdrawal by Novak Djokovic, leading 7-6(5) when the Serbian retired. Zverev now heads into the final with a 4-2 head-to-head advantage over Sinner, including a 2-1 edge in Grand Slam meetings. The 26-year-old will be aiming for his first Grand Slam title. The showdown between Sinner and Zverev promises to be an exciting culmination to this year’s Australian Open men’s singles competition...////...