LONDON, July 11 — World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to advance to his second consecutive Wimbledon men’s singles final.
The victory marked a sweet revenge for Sinner, who had lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year. This time, the Italian produced a dominant performance on Centre Court, sealing the win in two hours and 20 minutes with relentless baseline hitting and outstanding serving. Sinner won 88 percent of points behind his first serve, fired 16 aces and saved the only break point he faced, leaving Djokovic with few opportunities to turn the match around. “It means a lot to be back in the final here,” Sinner said after the match. “Wimbledon is the most special tournament. Playing against Novak is always an honour. What he continues to do is an inspiration for all of us, especially the younger generation.” Sinner will face second seed Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final after the German booked his place in the championship match with a 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 victory over British wildcard Arthur Fery.
Although Sinner has won 10 of their 14 previous meetings, he knows Zverev will present a different challenge after finally breaking through for his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. The German’s Paris triumph has given him a significant confidence boost, and his performances at Wimbledon have shown the level he is now capable of producing. “Whatever happened between us in the past is in the past. In the meantime, he won a Grand Slam in Paris, which gave him a lot of confidence. We can see the level he is producing here,” Sinner said. Tenth seeds Guo Hanyu of China and Kristina Mladenovic of France overcame an early 0-3 deficit to beat the Chinese duo of Jiang Xinyu and Xu Yifan 7-6 (5), 6-4, securing their spot in the women’s doubles final.
The triumph marks the pair’s first Grand Slam final appearance since they started partnering, and it is also the first time in Guo’s career that she has reached a Grand Slam women’s doubles final.
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