
Swiatek into Wimbledon quarter-finals
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam winner, has never made the Wimbledon final.
But the 24-year-old is in a strong position in the second week of the tournament after the exit of so many of the top seeds.
In the last eight, Swiatek will face Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 7-5 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.
"Honestly it's pretty amazing. It's the first time I really enjoyed London. Sorry guys!" Swiatek said of her previous Wimbledon woes.
"We are tennis players, so we feel well off the court when we feel well on the court."
Swiatek has lost in the semi-finals of both the Australian and French Opens this year.
But world number one Aryna Sabalenka is the only one of the top six women's seeds still standing.
Although Swiatek has reached only one All England Club quarter-final, she made the Bad Homburg final on grass recently and also won the Wimbledon junior title.
Following her run at Bad Homburg, Swiatek admitted playing on grass had never been easy for her as she said "maybe there is hope for me" on the surface.
Despite her grass-court fears, the former world number one is three wins away from adding the Wimbledon trophy to her four French Open crowns and one US Open title.
Swiatek's cause was helped by Tauson's struggles on Court One as the Dane complained about the slippier court and called for a medical time-out between sets.
"Clara said at the net she wasn't feeling well. I hope she is going to be fine," Swiatek said.

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Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sinner stuns Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final
Top seed Jannik Sinner ensured Novak Djokovic will be absent from a Wimbledon men's singles final for the first time in eight years after handing the Serbian great a brutal Centre Court battering on Friday. Italian Sinner lost both his previous Wimbledon duels with Djokovic but undoubtedly turned the tables as his power and precision proved too much for the seven-time champion, who, at 38, looked every bit his age in a humbling 6-3 6-3 6-4 loss. In his first Wimbledon final, the 23-year-old Sinner will face Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in a tantalising re-match of their recent French Open humdinger, which the Italian lost after battling for more than five hours, squandering three championship points. Alcaraz stayed on course for a Wimbledon three-peat with a 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6(6) defeat of Taylor Fritz. 'I don't know what to expect, you saw the last final and you never know,' Sinner, just the third Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final and hoping to become his country's first champion at the grasscourt slam, said on court. 'It's a huge honour to share the court with Carlos, we try to push ourselves to the limit. I love watching him. Hopefully it will be a good match like the last one, I don't know about better, I don't think that's possible.' Djokovic, who arrived in London bidding to equal Roger Federer's men's record eight Wimbledon titles and claim an unprecedented 25th major trophy, had not lost an All England Club semi-final since the Swiss got the better of him in 2012. But his 52nd Grand Slam semi-final proved a bridge too far as Sinner repeated his victory at the same stage of Roland Garros to confirm that a new order has now firmly established itself at the top of men's tennis. Djokovic has often looked superhuman on Wimbledon's most historic stage, but on Friday, Father Time chased him down as he looked defenceless against a sublime Sinner who dropped only six points on serve in the first two sets. He briefly stemmed the tide in the third set to move 3-0 ahead, but it proved an illusion as Sinner, bidding to add the Wimbledon title to his two Australian and one U.S. Open crowns, nipped any hope of a famous comeback in the bud. Djokovic appeared to struggle physically in the closing stages after needing treatment and Sinner wasted no time in putting the old warrior out of his misery in less than two hours to complete his set of Grand Slam finals. Sinner joined in the applause as Djokovic left Centre Court, giving a thumbs up to a cheering crowd who may have thought they had witnessed his last Wimbledon hurrah. Djokovic, who has reached the semi-finals of every Grand Slam this year -- retiring against Alexander Zverev in Australia and losing to Sinner in Paris and now here -- later said he plans to be back, but admitted the wear and tear of battling the new generation takes its toll. 'When I'm fresh and fit, I can still play really good tennis, but playing best of five, particularly this year, has been a struggle physically,' he told reporters. "The longer it goes, the worse the condition gets. I reached the semis of every slam this year but had to play these guys who are fit and young and I feel like I go into the matches with the tank half empty. 'It's just one of those things I need to embrace and deal with the reality. The day's second semi-final had been given top billing, but it proved an anti-climax for the fans, many of whom chanted "Nole Nole" as the match sped away from Djokovic. Sinner's net-skimming, line-hugging ground strokes -- the sort that come straight from the Djokovic textbook -- were suffocating on a boiling Centre Court, while his serving was untouchable. With 41 minutes on the clock, Sinner was a set and a break ahead and in complete control. Djokovic, who slipped on match point of his quarter-final win against Flavio Cobolli and missed his training session on Thursday, required treatment at the end of the second set. Just for a while, it seemed Sinner's fire had been doused as he lost concentration, but this time there was to be no Djokovic fightback as his resistance faded quickly. Alcaraz faced a more troublesome afternoon taming the big-serving Fritz in fierce heat and had to save two set points in the fourth-set tiebreaker to avoid being dragged into a decider. Looking ahead to the final, he said: 'Just going to be a great day, a great final. I'm just excited about it.'


Express Tribune
8 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Alcaraz in 3rd successive Wimbledon final
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached his third successive Wimbledon final on Friday, battling to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) win against American fifth seed Taylor Fritz. With Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio watching from the stands, Alcaraz survived a titanic clash lasting two hours and 49 minutes in searing temperatures on Centre Court. As the mercury rose close to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), play was interrupted by several fans taken ill, but Alcaraz kept his cool to subdue the big-serving Fritz with his sublime returns and immaculate serving of his own. The 22-year-old will play seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or world number one Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final. Alcaraz has beaten Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals and holds an 8-4 edge over Sinner in their 12 meetings. "It was a really difficult match, as always when I play against Taylor. Even tougher with the conditions. It was really hot today," Alcaraz said. "I dealt with the nerves. Playing here in a semi-final is not easy. I'm really proud with the way I stayed calm and thought clearly. I'm pleased about my level." Back to his best after an inconsistent start to the tournament, the world number two looks in the mood to extend his reign at the All England Club. The five-time Grand Slam champion is on a career-best 24-match winning streak since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April. That blistering run has brought him an epic French Open final triumph against Sinner and titles in Rome, Monte Carlo and at Queen's Club. He has won 35 of his 38 matches on grass, a golden spell including 20 successive victories at Wimbledon since losing to Sinner in the fourth round in 2022. "I'm not thinking about the winning streak or the results at all," he said. "This is my dream, stepping on these beautiful courts and playing tennis in the most beautiful tournament in the world. "I just want to enjoy this moment, that I've got to a third final in a row. I will have time to think about Sunday." Alcaraz is one win away from becoming the fifth man in the Open era to clinch three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. He can also become the second-youngest player in the Open era to win six men's Grand Slam titles after Borg reached that mark at Wimbledon in 1978 aged 22. Fritz fell short in his bid to reach a second Grand Slam final. The 27-year-old, a US Open runner-up last year, made a gutsy effort, but Alcaraz had won both their previous meetings and he wasted no time seizing control again. Although grass-court specialist Fritz had slammed 95 aces on route to his first Wimbledon semi-final, Alcaraz's returning prowess neutralised that weapon to secure a break in the first game of the match. Alcaraz needed his eye checked midway through the set, but there was no loss of focus from the Spaniard as he held serve to take the opener. Having dropped just four of 24 points on his serve in the first set, the Spaniard found himself under fire in the second. Fritz pounced on a rare sloppy game from Alcaraz to take the set when the Spaniard produced an ill-timed double-fault and two costly unforced errors. The nerveless Alcaraz was unfazed by that threat and quickly regained the momentum, running Fritz ragged with a deft drop-shot followed by a perfect lob to break in the third game of the third set. With Alcaraz's serve virtually flawless, he added another break for good measure to secure a two sets to one lead. In a dramatic fourth set tie-break, Fritz went from 4-1 down to 6-4 up, only for Alcaraz to save both set points. Alcaraz scented victory and one last flurry of piercing ground-strokes secured his latest final berth.


Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Sinner sets up Wimbledon final against Alcaraz after stunning Djokovic in straight sets
Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays a backhand return to Italy's Jannik Sinner during their men's singles semi-final tennis match on the twelfth day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 11, 2025. Photo: AFP Listen to article World number one Jannik Sinner will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster Wimbledon final on Sunday as the tennis world braces for the latest chapter in their enthralling rivalry. Sinner demolished Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 in a Centre Court masterclass on Friday to reach his first Wimbledon title match and his fifth at the Grand Slams. Just hours earlier, Alcaraz — who has won the last two Wimbledon titles — reached his third successive All England Club final. The Spanish world number two battled to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) win against American fifth seed Taylor Fritz. Sinner, 23, will be desperate to avenge his painful French Open defeat against Alcaraz after squandering a two-set lead and three championship points in an epic Roland Garros final in June. Only 35 days after that five-set marathon on clay in Paris, they will meet again on the lawns of Wimbledon. Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men's tennis, claiming the past six majors between them. Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, returned from a doping ban in May, losing the Italian Open final to Alcaraz before his stunning collapse at Roland Garros. Now he has chance for revenge against the man who is the current top dog on grass. "It is a huge honour for me to share the court once again with Carlos," Sinner said. "We try to push ourselves to the limit, he is for sure one of the players I look up to. Jannik Sinner becomes the second player, after Carlos Alcaraz, to beat Novak Djokovic at #Wimbledon since 2018 — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2025 "I love watching him, what kind of talent he is. Hopefully it's going to be a good match like the last one." Sinner trails 8-4 in his head to head meetings with Alcaraz, losing the past five matches. The Italian can take heart from beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022, his rival's last defeat at the All England Club. Reflecting on the prospect of another showdown with his arch rival, Alcaraz said: "In Paris it was the best match I have ever played so far. I'm not surprised he just pushed me to the limit. "I expect that on Sunday, just to be in the limit. It's going to be a great final. I'm excited about it. "I just hope not to be five hours and a half on court again! As I said, if I have to, I will. But I think it's going to be great." Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who was not 100 percent fit after an injury in his quarter-final against Flavio Cobolli, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title. It is the first time he has failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2017 after falling short in his bid to equal Roger Federer's men's record of eight Wimbledon titles. After suggestions he could retire following his All England Club exit, Djokovic insisted he plans to be back at Wimbledon next year. "Hopefully it's not my last match on the Centre Court. I'm not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today," the 38-year-old said. "So I'm planning to come back definitely at least one more time, play on the Centre Court for sure." With Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio watching from the stands, Alcaraz survived a titanic semi-final lasting two hours and 49 minutes in searing temperatures. As the mercury rose close to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), play was interrupted by several fans taken ill. But Alcaraz kept his cool to subdue the big-serving Fritz with his sublime returns and immaculate serving of his own. Back to his best after an inconsistent start to the tournament, Alcaraz looks in the mood to extend his reign at the All England Club. The five-time Grand Slam champion is on a career-best 24-match winning streak since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April. That blistering run has brought him an epic French Open final triumph against Sinner and titles in Rome, Monte Carlo and at Queen's Club. The 22-year-old has won 35 of his 38 matches on grass, a golden spell including 20 successive victories at Wimbledon.