Early in the first set of this match, the crowd began to erupt as Alex de Minaur chased a ball to the net post and angled a winning backhand pass across Jannik Sinner, only for the Italian to round on it and turn it into a winner of his own. The roar died in all throats. It never did get to full pitch.

The rest of this lopsided quarter-final was characterised by choked-off applause for winners that weren’t, openings that closed, a dream that died, and eventually by mute silence.

Jannik Sinner of Italy beat Alex de Minaur.Credit: AP

Sinner, in white shorts, socks and shoes, pale yellow shirt and cap and translucent legs, looked like a ghost and must have seemed like one to de Minaur. Wherever he went, Sinner was there. There were 200km/h serves that came back to unmanageable spots. Rasping cross-court forehands to the baseline were returned with interest. When De Minaur played a good shot, Sinner played a better one, and three more.

In musically storied northern Italy, Sinner probably has seen metronomes less constant. Combative as he is, de Minaur had no tick for this........

© The Age