Sinner downs Alcaraz in Wimbledon fourth round thriller
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 3, 2022 Italy’s Jannik Sinner celebrates winning his fourth round match against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz REUTERS/Matthew Childs
LONDON-Italian Jannik Sinner enjoyed a night to remember on his Centre Court debut as he toppled fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz with a barnstorming 6-1 6-4 6-7(8) 6-3 win in a battle of the young guns to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.
On a day when Wimbledon’s most famous stage celebrated its centenary, the two youngest players left in the men’s draw gave a glimpse of the future with some breathtaking shotmaking that earned them a standing ovation from 15,000 hollering fans.
Article continues after this advertisementHowever, during the first two sets there was little indication of the spellbinding drama that would end up unfolding on Centre Court.
The highly-rated Alcaraz, who has won a Tour-leading four titles this year, was sucked into a Sinner whirlwind as he lost seven games in a row from 1-1 in the first set.
The 19-year-old Spaniard recovered from that setback to deny Sinner two match points in the third-set tiebreak before three more went begging with Alcaraz serving at 5-2 down in the fourth.
Article continues after this advertisementBut Sinner withstood the barrage of belting winners to finally book his place in the last eight at his sixth attempt when Alcaraz rolled a forehand into the net.
“Carlos is a very tough opponent and a very nice person so it’s always a huge pleasure to play him with such a great crowd and on a special day with 100 years of Centre Court – it’s just amazing,” said Sinner, who will next face either six-time champion Novak Djokovic or Dutch wildcard Tim van Rijthoven.
“It’s tough when you have match point and you still have to play – I tried my best, it’s part of the game, part of tennis.
“I’m very happy how I reacted in the beginning of the fourth because I was struggling but I’m very happy to be in the next round and hopefully I can play some good tennis there.”
