Sinner sets up potential Djokovic clash, while Gauff completes Slam semi-final set

REIGNING CHAMPION JANNIK Sinner saw off the challenge of Jan-Lennard Struff and sweltering heat on Tuesday to ease into his third Wimbledon semi-final, where he could face Novak Djokovic.

The world number one was pushed at times by 36-year-old German Struff, but clinched an ultimately comfortable 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 quarter-final victory.

On Friday, Sinner will aim to reach his seventh Grand Slam final and first this year when he takes on either Djokovic or Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

He dealt well with 30C heat at the All England Club, after previous struggles in hot conditions, including when he was dumped out of the recent French Open in the second round by Juan Manuel Cerundolo after leading by two sets and 5-1.

“Thanks for reminding me,” the four-time Grand Slam champion joked when asked about the heat.

“We worked a lot, especially after Paris, trying to understand what went wrong there.” 

Sinner was beaten by Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals this year, having won their previous five meetings.

They have met three times before at Wimbledon, with Djokovic coming out on top in the 2022 quarter-finals and 2023 semis, before Sinner gained revenge in the last four 12 months ago.

Sinner has won his last five matches against Auger-Aliassime, dropping only one set in the process.

Struff started strongly, perhaps buoyed by pushing Sinner in a tight defeat on grass at Halle last month, but fell a set down after being broken in the 11th game.

Struff carved out a set-point opportunity in the second set but Sinner held him off as it went to a tie-break.

The top seed quickly moved 5-2 in front in the breaker and clenched his fist in delight when Struff sent a backhand long to give him a two-set lead.

Struff became the oldest first-time men’s Grand Slam quarter-finalist in the Open era by reaching the last eight.

But his resistance was ended as Sinner won the last three games to wrap up the match.

Alexander Zverev made the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time, finishing off his suspended last-16 tie against Jiri Lehecka with a four-set win on Tuesday.

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The French Open champion was leading by two sets when the match was delayed on Monday night midway through the third set, and he returned to Centre Court to complete a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6) success.

It has taken the 29-year-old 10 attempts to get to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, where he will face a tough test against American sixth seed Taylor Fritz.

“I wouldn’t have thought it would take me 12 years to get there,” said Zverev, who will play for a third straight day against Fritz on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy, incredible relief to finally get there.”

Zverev ended Germany’s 30-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros, and he remains on track to become the nation’s first men’s Wimbledon winner since Michael Stich in 1991.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff produced another gritty comeback to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula at Wimbledon on Tuesday and become the youngest player to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova.

The 22-year-old, playing in her first Wimbledon quarter-final, dug deep to fight back from a set down for a second straight match and beat Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court.

The two-time Grand Slam champion will face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova on Thursday in her first major semi-final since winning last year’s French Open.

Sharapova was 20 years old when she completed the set of Grand Slam semi-final appearances at the 2007 French Open.

Gauff has previously struggled to find her best form on grass, despite knocking out Venus Williams en route to the last 16 on her major debut at Wimbledon in 2019 when aged 15.

She reached the semi-finals of each of the other three Slam tournaments by the age of 19, but had gone out in the first round in two of her previous three visits to Wimbledon.

Karolina Muchova ended Naomi Osaka’s bid for a first Wimbledon title as the Czech 10th seed beat the four-time Grand Slam champion in straight sets in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Muchova, a former French Open runner-up, clinched a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 victory on Court One to set up a semi-final meeting with Coco Gauff.

“It’s unbelievable, I’m suer happy with today’s win, this atmosphere,” said Muchova.

“I’d played three times on this court and it had been 0-3…. but I finally made it today and got that win.

“I was nervous, I was very nervous.”

Muchova had lost in the first round on each of her past four Wimbledon appearances, but has now bettered her previous best run at the All England Club — quarter-final defeats in 2019 and 2021.