Wimbledon: Daniil Medvedev knocks out world number one Jannik Sinner

Easy win for Alcaraz : Vekic tames Sun to sail into semifinals

LONDON: Daniil Medvedev overcame a struggling Jannik Sinner to dump the world number one out of Wimbledon in the quarter-finals while 3rd seen Carlos Alcaraz reaches the last four stage on Tuesday.

Sinner appeared to be feeling unwell, holding his head in his hands after calling the doctor early in the third set and being helped off court for a medical time-out.

A possible retirement looked on the cards but Sinner gradually improved on the resumption and may have won the match had he taken one of two set points in the third.

He managed to forced a deciding set but it was Medvedev who eventually claimed a 6-7(7) 6-4 7-6(4) 2-6 6-3 victory after exactly four hours.

Alcaraz beat TommyPaul 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the second quarterfinal.

“If you have to beat Jannik, it has to be a tough match,” Medvedev said after the match. “He is not anymore a guy who can be beaten easily. I played at a high level, great points and I am happy.”

The opening set unfolded just as expected. Big hitters both, their primary strategy was to win a lot of free points off their serves. In this, Sinner shaded Medvedev early on. The Italian won 23 of the 25 points where he landed his first serve, and put most balls back into play while returning.

The Italian also had more shots for the highlights reel, with his whipped forehand and the half-knelt backhand eliciting from the audience many a gasp and whoop.

But Medvedev stayed within touching distance with his deceptively efficient shot-making. The Russian was solid from the backcourt and lethal whenever he advanced, winning seven out of eight net points.

The decider, in line with the rest of the match, again turned at the flick of a switch as Medvedev raised his game a notch up 2-1. Two winners, one each from the forehand and backhand wings, pushed Sinner to a corner and he succumbed to the pressure by serving a double-fault.

A forehand error from Sinner gave Medvedev the break and he had one foot in the semis. And soon he dragged the whole of his body over the line.

Experienced Croatian Donna Vekic ended Lulu Sun’s extraordinary Wimbledon journey on a damp Tuesday, battling past New Zealand’s 123rd-ranked qualifier 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 to reach her maiden Grand Slam singles semifinal on her 43rd main draw appearance.

Victory also meant Vekic became only the second woman from her country to reach the All England Club semi-finals, matching the feat of Mirjana Lucic in 1999. But it was not entirely smooth sailing for the unseeded 28-year-old.

“It was a really tough match. She played unbelievable. She pushed me to my limits,” said Vekic, who will meet seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or 19th seed Emma Navarro for a place in the title clash on Saturday.

“I felt like I was dying out there the first two sets. My chance came in the end.”

Vekic, who previously said she nearly quit the sport after issues with form and fitness after knee surgery in 2021, broke into tears on court as she acknowledged her team’s efforts.

“I have a full box of people and without them I would not be here,” she said. Agencies

Also Read: Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Daniil Medvedev reach third round

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