Wimbledon: Sinner labels Alcaraz triumph one of his best after sinking Spanish star's hopes

By Sports Desk July 03, 2022

Jannik Sinner said his win over Carlos Alcaraz ranked among the highlights of his young career after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals with an impressive 6-1 6-4 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 victory.

The 20-year-old Italian converted his sixth match point of an enthralling encounter on Centre Court to reach his third grand slam quarter-final.

The contest had been billed as a clash between two of the sport's future superstars, with their combined age the lowest in a fourth-round grand slam match since Juan Martin del Potro faced Kei Nishikori at the 2008 US Open.

At 19 years and 66 days old, Alcaraz had become the youngest male player to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon since 2011, and Sinner was keen to credit his opponent after a battle which lasted three hours and 35 minutes.

"First of all, Carlos is a very tough opponent and a very nice person, so it's always a huge pleasure for me to play against him," Sinner said.

"Today was such a great crowd and especially today, 100 years [since Centre Court opened]… it's just amazing.

"It's tough when you have match point and you still have to play. It's part of the game, part of tennis, and obviously I'm very happy with how I reacted.

"I'm very happy to be in the next round, and hopefully I can play some good tennis also in the next round."

Sinner, who boasts a 5-0 record against Spanish players in 2022, was asked where the triumph ranked among the best moments of his career.

He said: "In the top list, for sure. I didn't expect it because I was not playing so well on the grass.

"Then match after match I was better, I won my first grass-court match here in the first round, and now I'm here in the quarter-finals. I tried to adapt myself and the crowd helps me a lot."

Sinner had previously lost four fourth-round meetings with top-10 players at grand slams, being beaten by Alexander Zverev at the 2020 French Open and 2021 US Open, Rafael Nadal at the 2021 French Open, and Andrey Rublev at Roland Garros last month.

Sinner also improved his 2022 record against top-10 opponents to 2-5 with the victory, with his only previous win coming against Rublev at the Monte Carlo Masters.

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    Dimitrov made a fast start as he opened a 3-0 lead and Alcaraz, chasing back-to-back titles after winning in Indian Wells, was never able to get back on terms.

    He fought back from 4-1 down in the second set, but Dimitrov broke again to seal his second successive win over the Spaniard.

    “I think overall, to win against him, you have to play at your best; that’s just how it is,” said Dimitrov. “I came into the match very focused and extremely clear what I had to do.

    “Sometimes simplicity is genius. It’s very, very hard to do it, especially when you play against an opponent like that, but I was really able to dictate the game, read the game a little bit better than last time.

    “Overall, I think a very great match on my end and I’m just happy I finished in straight sets.”

    Zverev ended unseeded Fabian Marozsan’s run with a 6-3 7-5 success.

    The Hungarian had beaten top 10 pair Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur to reach the last eight, but could only muster two break points as Zverev won 80 per cent of points on his first serve.

    “I’m happy to be back in these late stages of these tournaments, playing the best players in the world, I think there are only those left,” said Zverev, who reached the final in Miami in 2018.

    Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will meet Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final in a rematch of the Australian Open final.

  • Analysing the attacks in a thrilling Championship promotion race Analysing the attacks in a thrilling Championship promotion race

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    Of these three teams, Ipswich have scored the most goals, with Kieran McKenna's side netting 80 across their 38 matches - an average of 2.1 per game. That makes the Tractor Boys the leading scorers in the league, while they are also the leading team for non-penalty goals (78).

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    Medvedev beat Sinner in last year’s Miami final, but the Italian came from two sets down to claim the Australia Open title in January.

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    “Then he started to play much better and it was tough rallies, tough points. He served better and it was just a matter of a few points in the tie-break.”

    Sinner reached his fourth semi-final of the year as he eased past Tomas Machac 6-4 6-2 in 91 minutes.

    “Physically I feel good. I’m just happy to compete,” Sinner said.

    “We practise very hard to be in these positions and I’m really happy I can play once again in the semis here at such a special tournament.

    “It’s special for me, I made my first Masters 1000 final here, so I’m really happy to be back in the semis.”

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