Jannik Sinner advances to Wimbledon semi-finals with assured win over Jan-Lennard Struff

By SABC Sport
7th July 2026

Jannik Sinner continued his pursuit of back-to-back Wimbledon titles by defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6(4), 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the third time.

The world No. 1 extended his impressive run after recovering from a five-set scare against Miomir Kecmanovic in the opening round. Since then, the defending champion has won 14 consecutive sets and will next face either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Sinner was not at his dominant best but once again delivered in the key moments. Struff's powerful serve, heavy forehand and frequent trips to the net kept the Italian under pressure throughout much of the contest.

After surviving a series of tight service games, Sinner finally broke for the opening set before facing an even sterner test in the second. Struff earned a set point at 5-4, but Sinner erased the danger with two unreturned serves and an ace before taking the tie-break. He then took firm control in the third set, dropping just four points on serve before sealing victory in two hours and 35 minutes.

"The second set could have ended in a different way," Sinner said.

"Tie-breaks are always 50-50. If you are one set all or two sets up, it's a big difference. In the third set, I was a little bit more relaxed.

"I'm very happy to finish in three sets because he's a very tough player."

The 24-year-old also looked comfortable in the hot conditions after his heat-related struggles during his surprise second-round exit at this year's French Open.

"We worked a lot after Paris trying to understand what went wrong and prepared in the best possible way," Sinner said. "It was a huge test today. I felt comfortable on the physical side, a good step forwards."

Sinner struck 16 aces to take his tournament tally to 97 - already the highest of his career at a single Grand Slam - and improved his Wimbledon record to 25-4. The win also sent him into his 10th Grand Slam semi-final as he moved within two victories of retaining the title.

Struff's memorable run ended in the last eight after the 36-year-old became the oldest first-time men's Grand Slam quarter-finalist of the Open Era. His victories over Sebastian Baez, Brandon Nakashima and Daniil Medvedev, along with Hubert Hurkacz's fourth-round retirement, are set to lift him to No. 40 in the live ATP rankings.