Defending champ Jannik Sinner soars into Wimbledon semis

Defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon for the third time with a 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over unseeded Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany on Tuesday.

The World No. 1 and the tournament's top seed, Sinner extended his winning streak to 12 matches at the All England Club after hammering 16 aces against the 74th-ranked Struff. The Italian will face seven-time Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semifinals. Djokovic, 39, outlasted No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in a five-set slugfest on Tuesday night, 7-6(10) 3-6 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(4).

Their five-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal ended in familiar fashion, with Djokovic standing midcourt, arms spread to absorb the adoration of England as he advanced to his eighth consecutive Wimbledon semifinal.

Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets in last year's semifinals at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Although the match was finished in three sets, Sinner admitted to having a tough time against Struff, who rebounded from losing the first set to take a 5-4 edge in the second. Sinner responded by winning that game and ultimately the tiebreak.

"The second set could have ended in a different way," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "Tiebreaks are always 50/50. If you are one set all or two sets up, it's a big (difference). So in the third set, I was a little bit more relaxed, for sure.

"His percentage of first serves dropped a little bit, which helped me feel slightly more comfortable. I'm very happy to finish in three sets, but he's a very tough player to play against. So I'm pleased."

--Field Level Media

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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 11:49 AM.