Alcaraz, Sabalenka reach quarterfinals at Wimbledon
Alcaraz dropped the first set against the 14th-seeded Rublev but showcased his trademark resilience, rallying to win 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The 22-year-old Spaniard converted crucial break points in the second and third sets before sealing the match with another break in the fourth.
"One point can change a match completely. You have to stay there all the time, be strong mentally," said Alcaraz, who remains on track for a third consecutive Wimbledon title.
He will next face Cameron Norrie, after the Briton outlasted Chile's Nicolas Jarry in a five-set marathon, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3.
Fifth seed Taylor Fritz matched his best Wimbledon performance by reaching the quarterfinals after opponent Jordan Thompson retired due to injury while trailing 6-1, 3-0.
Fritz will now meet Karen Khachanov, who eased past Poland's Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
World No. 1 Sabalenka overcame a stubborn challenge from Mertens, winning 6-4, 7-6 (4) to book her place in the last eight.
The Belarusian, the only top-six seed remaining in the women's draw, will next face Laura Siegemund, after the 37-year-old German ended lucky loser Solana Sierra's fairytale run with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
American Amanda Anisimova bolstered her title credentials with a hard-fought 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Linda Noskova.
The 13th seed will next take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who defeated Britain's Sonay Kartal earlier in the day.
UNI XINHUA GNK 1114
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Luca Modric bids adieu to Real Madrid after FIFA Club World Cup semifinal defeat to PSG
Real Madrid's 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-German in the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup marked Luca Modric's final appearance for the club. The 39-year-old Ballon d'Or winner joined the iconic Spanish club in 2012 and went on to has win 28 major trophies at Madrid, including six UEFA Champions League titles, four La Liga titles, and two Copa del Rey titles, making him the most decorated footballer in the club's history. ALSO READ: PSG vs Real Madrid HIGHLIGHTS Modric is the oldest player in Los Blancos' illustrious history and also the club's oldest-ever goal scorer. In his last game for the club, Modric came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute in place of Jude Bellingham. The Croatian legend is reportedly joining iconic Italian club AC Milan ahead of next season.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Wimbledon 2025: Swiatek gets 'goosebumps' after reaching first semifinal
LONDON: Iga Swiatek said she had "goosebumps" after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her illustrious career with a 6-2, 7-5 win against Russia's Liudmila Samsonova on Wednesday. The Polish eighth seed will face former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic for a place in Saturday's final. Swiatek has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but has struggled on the lawns of the All England Club. Her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023. Swiatek dominated the first set against 19th seed Samsonova on Court One but was made to battle in the second set before wrapping up victory in one hour and 49 minutes. "It feels great. Even though I'm in the middle of the tournament I've already got goosebumps after this win. I'm super happy and super proud of myself and I'll keep going," she said. "Honestly, I've really enjoyed playing this year and hopefully it's going to last as long as possible. For sure I feel like I really worked hard to progress here on this surface," she added. Swiatek broke twice in the opening set to take a firm grip on the match, benefiting from a flurry of unforced errors from her opponent and winning 100 percent of her points on first serve. Two double faults from the Russian 19th seed handed Swiatek an early break in the second set and she snuffed out a clutch of break points in the following game to go 3-0 up. The 24-year-old was pegged back as her level dipped and Samsonova pulled level at 4-4. But Swiatek regrouped and broke again to seal the win, finishing off her opponent with a fierce forehand winner. The former world number one has gone under the radar at this year's Wimbledon as most of the other top women's seeds have tumbled, though world number one Aryna Sabalenka is still standing. After slipping down the rankings, she is now back in the world's top four having reaching the Bad Homburg final on grass last month. Swiatek, a former Wimbledon junior champion, lost in the semi-finals of both the Australian Open and the French Open this year.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Wimbledon 2025: Sinner beats Shelton with injured elbow to reach semifinal
LONDON: Jannik Sinner sure didn't play like someone dealing with an injured right elbow Wednesday, using terrific serving and his usual booming forehand to dismiss 10th-seeded Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4 and earn a second appearance in the Wimbledon semifinals. The No. 1-ranked Sinner wore a white sleeve on his right arm with strips of tape visible underneath — one above the elbow, one below it — two days after he was hurt when he slipped and fell in the opening game of his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov. Sinner said he felt pain when he hit serves or forehands in that contest, and he dropped the first two sets before moving into the quarterfinals when Dimitrov quit in the third set because he tore a chest muscle. Sinner, a three-time Grand Slam champion and the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open last month, had an MRI exam on Tuesday and initially canceled a practice session that day but did hit some balls in a 20-minute session at an indoor court later. 'When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try to not think about it,' said Sinner, who reached his fourth consecutive major semifinal and next faces either 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic or No. 22 Flavio Cobolli. 'It has improved a lot from yesterday to today.' The other time Sinner made it this far at the All England Club, in 2023, he was eliminated by Djokovic. Against Shelton at No. 1 Court, Sinner came out as though not a thing were wrong, grabbing 27 of his 29 service points in the first set while accumulating a total of 15 winners to just one unforced error. Still, Shelton stayed right with him until 2-all in the tiebreaker. That's when Sinner surged in front, helped by a double-fault and four consecutive forehand errors by Shelton. At the outset of the second set, Shelton finally made some headway in a return game, getting a pair of break points at 15-40. On one, Sinner produced a forehand winner. On the other, he pounded a 132 mph serve — his fastest of the match — and rushed forward, getting to deuce when Shelton's backhand pass attempt found the net. That was followed by a 118 mph ace and a 125 mph service winner. Those were Shelton's only break chances. Later in that set came a brief moment where Sinner did appear to have an issue with his arm after trying to return a 141 mph serve from Shelton, a 22-year-old American who was trying to reach his third Slam semifinal. Sinner shook his right wrist and then held that elbow with his left hand. But that was about it. At 2-all in third set, Shelton's father, former tour pro Bryan — who is also his coach — leaned forward in his seat and told Ben: 'Just takes one little dip from him. Be ready for the opportunity to take it. Come on! Keep staying there! Let's go!' There never was a dip from Sinner. He finished with nearly twice as many winners as unforced errors, 33 to 17, and took 50 of his 56 first-serve points. Sinner has now won their past six matchups, all in straight sets, including a year ago at Wimbledon and in January at the Australian Open. On Wednesday, Shelton tried to stay with Sinner in baseline exchanges, which didn't really work. Not at all. Sinner won 55 baseline points, Shelton 24. Of the points that lasted five strokes or more, Sinner claimed 44, Shelton just 18. As for the elbow, Sinner said afterward that it's 'no excuse.' 'There is no better stage to play tennis,' he said, 'and I think I showed this today.'
