Zverev reaches first Wimbledon quarter-final as Gauff beats Pegula

LONDON: Alexander Zverev completed his fourth-round win over Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time, while Coco Gauff came through an all-American contest against Jessica Pegula and Jannik Sinner moved into the men’s semi-finals.

The German second seed had returned to Centre Court after play was halted on Monday night by Wimbledon’s 11:00pm curfew. Zverev had been two sets up and level at 3-3 in the third set under the roof before the match was suspended. When play resumed, he made a slow start and lost 12 of the first 13 points as Lehecka took the third set, but Zverev recovered to seal a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory.

Zverev saved himself from a longer finish after double-faulting on a second match point in the tiebreak, only for 13th seed Lehecka to send a backhand into the net on the next point. The 29-year-old had previously reached the fourth round at Wimbledon three times, but had never gone beyond that stage despite possessing a serve that can reach 140mph and heavy power from the baseline. His bid to add the Wimbledon title to the maiden Grand Slam crown he won at last month’s French Open will continue against American Taylor Fritz in the last eight.

Lehecka had posed a stern challenge after Zverev resumed with an advantage built during a clinical display late on Monday, when the pair had finally taken the court at around 9:00pm. Rejuvenated by the overnight pause, the Czech came out strongly on Tuesday, but Zverev reset before the fourth set and held firm on serve before closing out the match in the tiebreak.

Sinner advances in the heat

Reigning champion Jannik Sinner also progressed, beating Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 in hot conditions at the All England Club to reach his third Wimbledon semi-final. The world number one was tested at times by the 36-year-old, but came through in straight sets despite the 30C temperatures.

The win marked a solid response from Sinner after earlier difficulties in hot weather, including his defeat at the recent French Open, where Juan Manuel Cerundolo beat him in the second round after he had led by two sets and 5-1. Struff started well and was broken only in the 11th game of the opening set. He later earned a set point in the second set, but Sinner held on and then moved 5-2 ahead in the tiebreak before taking command of the match.

Struff had become the oldest first-time men’s Grand Slam quarter-finalist in the Open era by reaching the last eight, but Sinner finished strongly by winning the last three games of the contest.

Gauff and Muchova move into last four

On the women’s side, seventh seed Coco Gauff defeated fourth seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court in their all-American quarter-final. Gauff, a two-time major champion, was playing in the Wimbledon last eight for the first time.

The 22-year-old started slowly as Pegula, 32, took the opening set, but Gauff responded decisively to take control in the second before completing the comeback in the third. Seven years after reaching the Wimbledon main draw as a 15-year-old and defeating Venus Williams on her debut, she is now two wins away from the title.

Gauff has reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time since winning her most recent major at the French Open last year. She is also the youngest player to feature in all four Grand Slam semi-finals since Maria Sharapova in 2007.

She will next face Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova, who beat Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-6 (7/4), 6-4. Muchova had never moved beyond the first round in her previous four Wimbledon appearances, although she won the grass-court title at Bad Homburg in June. The 29-year-old’s only Grand Slam final ended in defeat to Iga Swiatek at the 2023 French Open.

Late on Monday, Britain’s Arthur Fery defeated Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/7) in their fourth-round match.