Sinner beats Djokovic, will face Alcaraz in Wimbledon final
The No. 1-ranked Sinner's victory at Centre Court put him in his first final at the All England Club.
No. 2 Alcaraz defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) earlier Friday to move within one victory of a third consecutive Wimbledon title.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after beating Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in a men's singles semifinal at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London (Source: Associated Press)
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, and Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard, now head into a rematch of their epic final at the French Open four weeks ago. Alcaraz won that one after fending off a trio of match points.
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"Hopefully it's going to be a good match, like the last one," Sinner said. "I don't know if it'll get better, because I don't think it's possible."
Alcaraz is 5-0 so far in Grand Slam title matches. Sinner owns three major trophies.
They are far and away the leaders of men's tennis — and are at the height of their games right now. This will be the seventh straight major tournament won by one or the other.
"The things we are doing right now are great for tennis," Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz takes a career-best 24-match winning streak into Sunday. Sinner will be participating in his fourth consecutive Grand Slam final, after winning the US Open last September and the Australian Open in January, before his heart-breaking defeat in Paris after wasting a two-set lead.
For the 38-year-old Djokovic, his lopsided loss brought an end to his latest bid for an eighth Wimbledon title — which would tie the men's mark held by Roger Federer — and for an unprecedented 25th major trophy in all.
Novak Djorkovic of Serbia reacts during the men's semifinal singles match against Jannik Sinner of Italy at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. (Source: Associated Press)
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Djokovic was diminished two days after slipping and doing the splits on what he called a "nasty" and 'awkward' fall in the last game of his quarterfinal victory. He cancelled a practice session Thursday, had his upper left leg checked by a trainer during a medical timeout after the second set against Sinner and was simply unable to move the way the world is so used to seeing.
Right after that treatment, Djokovic grabbed a 3-0 lead in the third set and was a point from going up 4-0. But Sinner took six of the remaining seven games.
"We all saw, especially in the third set, that he was a bit injured," Sinner said. "He's been in a very difficult situation."
When it ended, Djokovic picked up his equipment bags and was given a standing ovation as he headed toward the locker room. He paused to smile, wave and give a thumbs-up to the crowd.
Djokovic exited in the semifinals at all three Slams this season, including quitting after a set against Alexander Zverev because of an injured hamstring at the Australian Open, then losing to Sinner at Roland-Garros.
There was more intrigue in Friday's first semifinal, particularly when Fritz led 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreaker, meaning he had two chances to force things to a fifth. But Alcaraz collected the next four points by forcing mistakes by Fritz to finish off the win, then rocked back on his heels, spread his arms wide and screamed.
"I'm just really proud about the way that I stayed calm," Alcaraz said, "and [was] thinking clearly."
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, right, greets Taylor Fritz of the U.S. after beating him in a men's singles semifinal at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London. (Source: Associated Press)
With five-time Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg and celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio looking on, Alcaraz marked some of his best shots with a shout of "Vamos!" or a raised index finger.
"A lot of the things that I would have changed, I think would have only helped me for a point or two, and then I think Carlos would have just made an adjustment,' said the fifth-seeded Fritz, the runner-up to Sinner at the US Open, "and I don't think it would have been a long-term answer".
The temperature topped 30C, with no clouds interrupting the blue sky overhead to offer protection from the sun. For the second consecutive day, spectators had trouble in the heat; there were two brief delays in one second-set game while fans needed to be helped.
The pop of a Champagne cork could be heard in the stands just before the start, and the Spaniard burst out of the gate, taking 10 of the initial 12 points, including a break for a 1-0 lead. That game featured glimpses of why Alcaraz is so great already. Indeed, the very first point was illustrative: He returned a 135 mph serve, then capped a 10-stroke exchange with a delicate drop shot.
To be clear, Fritz played exceedingly well, conjuring a quality with his neon-orange racket frame that would have been good enough to overcome most any foe on grass.
As everyone paying attention — including Sinner — knows by now, Alcaraz is not just any foe.
"He has so many different ways to win,' Fritz said, 'and he's very good at making adjustments.
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