Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz staged an enthralling comeback on Tuesday to return to the semi-finals. However, a much-anticipated showdown with Jannik Sinner will not materialize, as the world number one was unexpectedly defeated.
After adding a third Grand Slam title to his collection at the French Open last month, Alcaraz continued his quest to retain a major trophy, overcoming American Tommy Paul with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory. Reflecting on his performance, the Spaniard remarked, “When I’m not playing my best tennis, I’m going to try to find solutions just to be a bit better and beat the opponent. Sometimes it’s going to be difficult to do it but sometimes, like in these matches, I didn’t play brilliant but I played enough just to win the match.”
The match, a contest between the two most recent Queen’s Club champions, featured breathtaking shot-making before Paul’s efforts to end the 21-year U.S. wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion faded. “I’m really happy to be back in the semi-finals here. Really happy about the level that I’m playing,” added Alcaraz, noting that he was still a child when American Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003.
On the other hand, Sinner, another rising star on the men’s tour, was heavily favored to succeed at Wimbledon following his breakthrough at the Australian Open. However, his encounter with fifth seed Daniil Medvedev turned out to be a disappointing one, with Sinner suffering a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 defeat. “This morning I didn’t feel great. I had some problems. Then with the fatigue, it was tough,” said Sinner. “But take nothing away from Daniil. He played smart. Played good tennis. That’s it … It wasn’t an easy moment. I tried to fight with that what I had today.”
Meanwhile, Sinner’s compatriot Jasmine Paolini delivered a dominant performance against American 19th seed Emma Navarro, securing a 6-2, 6-1 victory in just 58 minutes. Paolini will now face Croatian Donna Vekic, who ended the extraordinary run of 123rd-ranked qualifier Lulu Sun.
Reflecting on her journey, Vekic, who contemplated quitting after knee surgery in 2021, expressed her pride: “Those couple of years were tough. Now, reaching my best result ever at a Grand Slam, I’m really proud of myself, of the work that I’ve done, of the work that my team has done.”
