Defending champion Jannik Sinner survived one of the biggest serving tests of his Wimbledon campaign before pulling away to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 and book his place in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
The straight-sets scoreline suggested a routine afternoon on Court One. It was anything but.
Struff, playing in his first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final at the age of 36, arrived with a simple but highly effective blueprint – serve big, keep rallies short and deny Sinner any rhythm from the baseline. For almost two sets, it worked brilliantly.
The German repeatedly fired serves in excess of 135 mph, adding another dozen aces to the 100 he had already struck earlier in the tournament. Sinner was often reduced to merely blocking returns back into play as Struff dictated points with his first strike.
The opening set remained on serve for 11 games, with Struff barely allowing Sinner a look at his service games. But the world No. 1 needed only one brief lapse.
At 5-5, Struff’s first-serve percentage dipped ever so slightly, and Sinner pounced immediately, earning the decisive break before calmly serving out the set 7-5.
The second set unfolded in almost identical fashion.
Struff continued to execute his aggressive game plan, refusing to let Sinner settle into extended rallies. By then, however, the Italian had adjusted to the German’s thunderous serve, consistently getting returns into play and forcing Struff to play an extra ball.
Neither player blinked on serve as the set headed into a tie-break.
That was where Sinner elevated his level.
The defending champion raced into an early 2-0 advantage in the breaker, instantly putting Struff under pressure. With his groundstrokes finding greater depth and accuracy, Sinner never relinquished the initiative, closing out the tie-break 7-4 to move within a set of victory.
From there, the contest changed completely.
Having spent nearly two hours trying to blast through the Italian’s defence, Struff finally began to fade. Sinner, now fully settled into the match, dictated rallies from the baseline and moved the German around the court with increasing ease.
A solitary break in the third set proved enough as Sinner wrapped up victory in two hours and 34 minutes, extending his unbeaten head-to-head record against Struff to 4-0.
“He is 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.
“In the beginning, he started better than me. I was struggling a little bit. I tried to stay there mentally.
“The second set could have ended in a different way. Tie-breaks are always 50-50. I’m happy to be back in the semi-finals here.”
While Sinner marches into his 10th Grand Slam semi-final, Struff left Wimbledon to a standing ovation despite the straight-sets defeat.
The applause reflected more than just Tuesday’s effort. At 36, the German became the oldest man in the Open Era to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final, capping off a remarkable fortnight built around one of the biggest serves in the game.
His dream run ultimately ended against the tournament favourite, but not before pushing the defending champion far harder than the scoreline suggested.
Sinner will next face either Novak Djokovic or Felix Auger-Aliassime for a place in the Wimbledon final.
COCO GAUFF FIGHTS BACK TO REACH SEMI-FINALS
Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time after beating friend and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in an all-American Centre Court clash 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 she was on the back foot initially against her fourth-seeded opponent.
In truth, Gauff was fighting herself almost as much as the American No. 1. Playing in her first Wimbledon quarter-final, she made 17 unforced errors 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 the number of unforced errors.
The 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion led for the first time when she broke Pegula in the final set, but her older opponent was not beaten yet and broke back to level at 3-3.
GAUFF GOING THE DISTANCE
Gauff, who will face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals, replied with another immediate break, then held serve before Pegula found the net with a return on match point.
“Pretty insane, honestly,” was Gauff’s immediate reaction to the win. “Considering how I hadn’t won a match on grass in two years before this tournament, I’m definitely just really happy with how I played today.
“Jess is an incredible opponent and person, and playing against her is never easy. I’m just happy to get through this one today.”
Gauff, who has now been taken to three sets in three of her last four matches and has yet to win a grass-court title, said getting more first serves in, along with staying calmer during rallies, proved decisive.
“In the first set, I think I made a little bit too many errors, rushing the rallies a little too quickly,” she said. “I just felt the last two sets were really great tennis.
“I’ve been going three sets almost every match, so when you have that faith in yourself as a competitor, when the match goes the distance and you lose one set, you’re not panicking.”
The match was the first between two American women seeded in the top 10 at Wimbledon since Serena and Venus Williams met in the 2009 final.
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