Defending champion Novak Djokovic booked a spot in the semifinal of the Wimbledon Championships yesterday. He will be facing a known opponent, Italian youngster Jannik Sinner on Friday.
Both these players were involved in some intense matches during the journey to the semifinals. Interestingly, Sinner has not faced a top-50 player as yet in the tournament. A player to reach a semifinal of any Major without facing a seeded player is very, very unusual. Let’s talk a look at his journey so far.
Easy Wins for the Italian so far in Wimbledon
Sinner has played 5 games so far in the tournament. Interestingly, he has not faced a single player ranked top 50 in the tournament. His victory over Roman Safiullin also made him the youngest player since 2007 to reach the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
In the first couple of rounds, Sinner was up against Argentine players, Juan Manuel Cerundolo ranked 105 and Diego Schwartzman ranked 98, respectively. By comfortable victory in straight sets, the 21-year-old progressed in the tournament.
Jannik Sinner is the youngest man to reach the semi-finals since 2007…
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2023
The youngest for a day anyway 😉#Wimbledon | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/RT2unB60s6
The first challenge he faced was in the form of Frenchman Quentin Halys, who is ranked 79. The Italian lost the opening set before raising his level to claim the next three sets.
Sinner then faced Columbia’s Daniel Elahi Galán ranked 85 in the world, and ended his stay in the tournament, after defeating 6-7(4), 4-6, 3-6 against the powerful hitting youngster. Yesterday, he booked his semi-final seat by knocking out the 92nd-ranked Roman Safiullin in four sets.
In the bottom half of the draw, Djokovic sailed through the opening week with ease, winning the first three rounds in straight sets. When he faced the 17th seed Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth round, he had his first real test as the Pole was serving with sheer power. The match had to be completed the following day as they had approached the curfew hour.
Clinical Display by Novak Djokovic
Yesterday, Novak was up against the powerful hitting World No. 7 Andrey Rublev. The Russian got off to a positive start, claiming the first set. However, the Serb has other plans and raced through the next three sets and won the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3. It was the best match he played so far and is peaking at the right time toward the business end of the tournament.
The defending champion will be up against Sinner on Friday. Interestingly, the last time they faced each other was at the Wimbledon championships last year. Although the Serb won, it was a close contest, and took him five sets to win the match.
In that quarterfinal match, Jannik was up by two sets before ending up on the losing side. It displayed the supremacy of the seven-time champion. Fans can expect another close contest when they face each other tomorrow.
