Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner treads deep to reach semi-finals, outwits big Struff
Defending champion Jannik Sinner survived one of Wimbledon’s biggest service tests before pulling away to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 to book a place in Tuesday’s semi-finals.
The straight sets score indicated a routine afternoon on court number one. It was anything but.
Struff, playing in his first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal at the age of 36, came up with a simple but highly effective plan – serve big, keep rallies short and deny Sinner any rhythm from the baseline. It worked great for almost two sets.
The German repeatedly hit serves over 135 mph and added another dozen aces to the hundred he had already hit earlier in the tournament. Sinner was often reduced to simply blocking returns back into play as Struff dictated points with his first strike.
The opening set remained on serve for 11 games, Struff barely allowing Sinner a glimpse of the service games. But the world number one only needed one short break.
At 5-5, Struff’s first serve percentage dipped slightly and Sinner pounced immediately, earning the decisive break before calmly serving out the set 7-5.
The second set unfolded almost the same.
Struff continued to execute his aggressive game plan, refusing to let Sinner settle into extended rallies. By then, however, the Italian had adapted to Germany’s thunderous delivery, consistently winning returns and forcing Struff to play for the extra ball.
Neither player blinked on serve as the set headed into a tie-break.
This was where Sinner raised his level.
The defending champion jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the breaker and immediately put Struff under pressure. Sinner found more depth and accuracy with his groundstrokes and never relinquished the initiative to close out the tie-break 7-4 to move within a set of victory.
Since then, the competition has completely changed.
After nearly two hours of trying to break through the Italian defenses, Struff finally began to weaken. Sinner, now fully balanced, dictated the plays from the baseline and moved the German around the court with increasing ease.
A solitary break in the third set proved to be enough as Sinner wrapped up victory in two hours and 34 minutes to extend his unbeaten run against Struff to 4-0.
“He’s a very, very tough player to play against, but he deserves everything he’s done and achieved in his career,” Sinner said after the match.
“He started better than me in the beginning. I was struggling a little bit. I was trying to stay there mentally.
“The second set could have ended differently. Tie-breaks are always 50 to 50. I’m happy to be back here in the semifinals.”
While Sinner advances to his 10th Grand Slam semi-final, Struff left Wimbledon to a standing ovation despite a straight sets defeat.
The applause reflected more than Tuesday’s effort. At 36, the German became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final, capping a remarkable fortnight built around one of the greatest serves in the game.
His dream run eventually came to an end against the tournament favorite, but not before he pushed the defending champion much harder than the scoreline suggested.
Sinner will next face either Novak Djokovic or Felix Auger-Aliassim for a place in the Wimbledon final.
COCO GAUFF FIGHTS BACK TO GET TO THE SEMI-FINALS
Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time after beating friend and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in an All-American clash on Center Court on Tuesday.
The seventh seed and two-time Grand Slam champion will continue her adventure as the highest-ranked player left in the women’s singles draw, but was initially on the back foot against her fourth-seeded opponent.
In truth, Gauff struggled almost as much as the American No. 1. She committed 17 unforced errors in her first Wimbledon quarterfinal and served four double faults in the opening set.
The 22-year-old got things back under control in the second set, although she still faced two break points in the opening game and halved her unforced errors.
The 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion took the lead for the first time when she broke Pegula in the final set, but her older rival was still unbeaten and broke to level 3-3.
GAUFF GOES THE DISTANCE
Gauff, who will face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Mucha in the semifinals, responded with another immediate break, then held serve before Pegula found the net with a match point return.
“Pretty crazy, honestly,” was Gauff’s immediate reaction to the win. “Having not won a match on grass two years before this tournament, I’m definitely happy with how I played today.
“Jess is an incredible opponent and person and it’s never easy to play against her. I’m glad I did it today.”
Gauff, who has now taken three sets in three of her last four matches and is yet to win a title on grass, said winning more first serves along with staying calm during rallies proved crucial.
“I think I made a little too many mistakes in the first set, rushed the rally a little too fast,” she said. “I felt the last two sets were really great tennis.
“I went to three sets almost every match, so when you have that kind of belief in yourself as a competitor, when the match goes long and you’re down one set, you don’t panic.
The match was the first between two American top-10 seeds at Wimbledon since Serena and Venus Williams met in the 2009 final.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
07 Jul 2026 22:43 IST