Sinner beats Djokovic to reach Wimbledon final

LONDON: Defending champion Jannik Sinner swept aside Novak Djokovic in straight sets on Friday to book his place in the Wimbledon final, where he will face Alexander Zverev.

Sinner won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to end Djokovic’s latest attempt to secure a record 25th Grand Slam title. The Italian, who had been beaten by Djokovic at the same stage of this year’s Australian Open, delivered a dominant display on Centre Court and gave the Serb little room to mount a response.

Earlier in the day, second seed Zverev defeated British wildcard Arthur Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 to end the home player’s unexpected run. The victory made Zverev the first German man to reach the Wimbledon singles final since Boris Becker in 1995.

Sinner too strong for Djokovic

The temperature had dropped from the intense heat of previous days, but Sinner produced a relentless performance against the 39-year-old Djokovic. He struck 16 aces and lost only six points behind his first serve.

Djokovic, who had been aiming to become the oldest Grand Slam finalist since Ken Rosewall reached the 1974 US Open final, was left chasing the match from the moment Sinner broke in the ninth game of the opening set with a backhand winner down the line.

Sinner did not face a break point for almost two hours and had firm control of the contest by then. When Djokovic eventually created one, the Italian erased it with an ace.

The Centre Court crowd repeatedly chanted Nole, Nole in support of Djokovic, but Sinner’s pace off the ground and accuracy on serve kept him in command. Djokovic, who had spent 16-1/2 hours on court on the way to an eighth straight Wimbledon semi-final and his 15th overall, appeared to feel the effects of that workload, including Tuesday’s longest match of the tournament against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Tributes and reaction after semi-final

After the match, Sinner praised Djokovic’s standing in the sport.

Sinner said on court:

It's the most special tournament we have and it means a lot to me, of course, playing against Novak.

He is still a true inspiration not only for you guys, but also for the new generation. What he's doing is incredible.

Djokovic later acknowledged that Sinner had been far superior on the day and said he intended to return next year.

Speaking to reporters, Djokovic said:

Was a good old blowout, nothing much I could do. It's very simple. He was just a level or more better than I was. I was just not sharp enough.

He was at cruising speed and I could not catch him.

For Djokovic, the defeat was his fifth in his last six Grand Slam semi-finals, leaving his pursuit of a 25th major title still unresolved.

Zverev ends Fery’s run

In the first semi-final, Zverev halted Fery’s impressive campaign after a tight opening set. Fery had become one of the tournament’s surprise stories, and had he progressed, he would have played the final on his 24th birthday.

After taking the first set in a tiebreak without conceding a point, Zverev imposed himself with a powerful display to reach his first Wimbledon final. He is now seeking a French Open-Wimbledon double after needing 41 attempts to win his first Grand Slam title last month.

Zverev said:

For me, I stay focused. I stay hungry. I want more. I want to continue playing at the best level and continue winning.

I hope I'm able to do that, and again on Sunday I have another big chance.

Sinner, meanwhile, will be chasing the fifth Grand Slam title of his career when he meets Zverev in Sunday’s final.