Defending champion Jannik Sinner defeated Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3 in No. 1 Court on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon for the third time.
On a warm afternoon, world No. 1 faced a different challenge against 36-year-old German, whose strong usage and attacking style tested Sinner throughout the match. But Sinner proved a solid player in the big moments, producing a combined performance to bookend 10the Grand Slam semifinal of his career.
Struff, the oldest men’s Grand Slam quarterfinal winner in the Open Era, scored 12 aces, win 80 percentage of his first game points and was very efficient at the net, winning 27 his 38 methods.
The offender, however, was outstanding in serving throughout the game. The Italian shot 16 aces, stayed 65 the first percentage of his serve and won 84 percentage of those points. He also won 50 percent of his second points and had just two double errors.
Photo by: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
After taking the opening set, Sinner was pushed back to the second before winning the tiebreak. He then got a break in the third morning and closed out the match in straight sets. The top seed finished with 32 winners to 26 unforced errors, compared to 28 winners once 38 Struff’s unforced errors, while also winning 114 full score to Struff’s 95.
Asked what made him most happy about his game, Sinner said:
“It was like worshiping at important times. I felt like I was working smarter today, even though I was resting. The second set I had a drop in concentration again. I tried to stay there mentally throughout the service game.
“Yes, and how I handled the important moments in that match because if you lose the second set, everything can happen again. Especially with large servers, you have less control.
“That is something I can be proud of. That’s all. I felt like today, again, was a little step better because it was a very different enemy that I had faced so far. The main server here on the lawn is always strong.
“I’m happy with today’s performance, and now I’m trying to be as ready as possible for the semis.”
Next up is the Italian who beat Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
