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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon men's singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner delayed
Wimbledon were forced to delay the start time of the men's singles final on Sunday by 10 minutes due to a lengthy women's doubles final on Centre Court. In a year where Wimbledon have moved the singles start times from 2pm to 4pm, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were left waiting for the three-set doubles final – which started at 1pm - to conclude. Advertisement It finished just before 3:30pm (BST), but after the presentation ceremony, the referee's office confirmed that the men's singles final would start at the slightly later time of 4:10pm. Alcaraz and Sinner, the top two players in the world, are facing each other again just five weeks on from their incredible final at the French Open, which lasted five-and-a-half hours. Sinner, who recovered from the loss by going home to northern Italy and sharing BBQs and table tennis with his friends and family, said with a smile: 'I think if it would be a lot in my head, I would not be in the situation to play a final again. 'I'm very happy to share once again the court with Carlos. It's going to be difficult, I know that. But I'm looking forward to it.' Advertisement Sinner comprehensively defeated a physically compromised Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals after two-time defending champion Alcaraz had got the better of Taylor Fritz to ensure one of the pair will win a seventh straight grand slam title. It is the kind of dominance the big three of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal achieved in their prime, but Sinner shrugged off comparisons. 'You cannot compare what the big three did for 15-plus years,' said the 23-year-old, who is through to a fourth straight slam final and can become the first Italian man or woman to win a Wimbledon singles title. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will face off in the Wimbledon final (PA) 'Six grand slams are one-and-a-half years. It's not that big yet. Of course, we find ourselves again in this position. This is the second consecutive grand slam that we are in the final and playing each other, which is great from my side. I believe it's good for the sport. Advertisement 'The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young players going against each other. I'm happy to be in that position, but let's see in the future. If we can make that happen for the next three, four years, then people can think about it.' Sinner and Alcaraz have shared those six titles but the Spaniard holds the psychological edge having won not just at Roland Garros but their last five matches. Of the nine losses world number one Sinner has had since the start of 2024, more than half have been against Alcaraz. Meanwhile, in the doubles final, eighth seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens beat fourth seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jannik Sinner breaks his Carlos Alcaraz curse with stunning Wimbledon triumph
At the end, Jannik Sinner raised his arms aloft after a victory which must have felt like some time coming. The 23-year-old, in his typical unostentatious manner, crouched down in reflection before heading to his euphoric team in the east stand. Unlike the most devastating of defeats five weeks ago on the red brick of Roland Garros, when three championship points passed in a flash, the Italian had his crowning moment of the season this Sunday evening in southwest London. No longer bewitched by his adversary, Sinner claimed his first win over Carlos Alcaraz in six attempts and 20 months. The world No 1 had finally triumphed against his biggest foe. Despite dropping the first set here, the Italian kept his composure, stopped Alcaraz's three-peat quest and 24-win streak in its tracks and prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Advertisement Of course, for some, it is a result with a bitter taste. It would be remiss not to mention Sinner's three-month doping ban earlier this year, suspiciously timed so he did not miss a major. Some argue, therefore, that Sinner should not even be playing this fortnight in SW19. And they may well be right. But the 'inadvertent contamination' of an anabolic steroid was seen by most as purely accidental. A costly mistake, but one in which Sinner's integrity remained intact. Jannik Sinner wins his first Wimbledon title with victory over Carlos Alcaraz (Getty Images) Sinner is the Wimbledon men's singles champion (PA Wire) And so, scalpel-gate or not, Italy has its first Wimbledon champion, male of female. Sinner has his first non-hard-court Grand Slam. And tennis has its next generation rivalry, thrust into the present day, with Sinner the deserved victor in their latest spellbinding duel. Advertisement 'It's so special, seeing my parents here, my brother, my whole team, it's amazing,' Sinner said, on court, after the presentation ceremony. 'I had a very tough loss in Paris. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter how you win or lose, you have to understand what you did wrong, try and work on that. That's what we did, we accepted the loss. This is one of the reasons I'm holding this trophy here. 'I'm very happy I held my nerves, it's an amazing feeling. I never thought I'd be in this position. This was a dream of mine when I was young, I'm just living my dream.' Sinner stated beforehand that he wasn't sure whether a replication of their French Open epic was possible. 'We'll do our best,' he chuckled. Regardless, the sense of anticipation, of expectation, was tangible as the clock ticked past 4:10pm on a sun-drenched Centre Court. A slightly delayed start made the occasion all the more suspenseful; save for a plane overhead, you could hear a pin drop among the 15,000 captivated onlookers. Advertisement Yet that early serenity in the stands was contrasted with the adrenaline-fueled athletes on the court. If a statistic was needed to illustrate this, in just the third game of the match, Alcaraz thumped down the biggest serve of his career at 139mph. He'd later beat it by clocking 140mph. Sinner defeats arch rival Alcaraz in four sets in the final (Reuters) Sinner plays a tweener volley (PA) Sinner drew first blood as Alcaraz went astray with his groundstrokes in the fifth game. It's not an uncommon sight: the spectacular Spaniard often needs a wake-up call, a dip in quality, to spark into life. And indeed it transpired here. The defending champion kicked supremely into full throttle, reeling off four games in a row with an initial break back – winning a hard-hitting 18-shot really in the process – before a raucous final game of the opening set. Advertisement Serving to stay in it, the Italian was forced out of his comfort zone, unable to react to Alcaraz's dazzling variety. A slip at the back of the court from the world No 1 presented a set point chance, which Alcaraz took in remarkable fashion. Sinner was sent out wide and ripped a forehand down the line for what, against anyone else on tour, would have been a clean winner. But Alcaraz, incomprehensibly, stretched and scooped a backhand back into the open court, with Sinner nowhere to be seen. In a fashion he has now trademarked, Alcaraz raised his finger to his ear, forever a showman. Centre Court wasn't mute anymore. The touchpaper had been lit. Yet for his brilliance, Alcaraz has a tendency to fluctuate sporadically. The Spaniard was playing catch-up at the start of the second, throwing in a shocker of an opening game, but was evidently making Sinner – usually a cool-headed, methodical monster of a player – double-guess his every move. Alcaraz wins the first set of the final (AFP via Getty Images) In fact, it's highly unusual for the Italian to show emotion, but he did so within an hour here. Hands-on-hips after a routine backhand pass went wide, he then shouted 'let's go!', in English no less, after saving a break point. He repeated the war cry, after a brief pause for a champagne cork shooting onto court, when holding serve a few games later. Advertisement The set then swiftly moved to 5-4, Sinner serving to level the match, when the Italian produced his own range of fireworks. By this point, the exchanges were extraordinary, and the world No 1 produced four sensational winners to seal the set: a backhand cross-court winner, repeating the trick a point later, crisply finding the line with a forehand winner at 30-15 before sealing it with a stunning forehand cross-court angle, on-the-run again. Sinner simply stopped, fist raised, and stared intensely at his coach Darren Cahill in his player box. This was the Italian reminding all who surveyed that he was also capable of spellbinding artistry on this stage. The conclusions to the first two sets were a perfect snapshot of the stratospheric level required to win the biggest points between these two. As somewhat expected, it was turning into an instant classic. Sinner claims his fourth Grand Slam (PA) Best-of-three from here on in, both swatted away chances against their serve with stunning efficiency. Alcaraz saved two break points in his opening game, while Sinner wooed the arena with a tweener volley at the net. On the grandest stage in tennis, it was circus stuff. Advertisement Yet much like the second, Sinner edged ahead. Finding his range peerlessly, Sinner carved out a break point at 4-3 with a sweetly struck forehand. Alcaraz, having spent nearly five more hours on court this tournament than his opponent, suddenly looked a little weary and Sinner sealed the break, as the Spaniard slipped out wide. The Italian then held, comfortably, his constant depth overpowering the defending champion, and was a set away from victory. Picked up by courtside microphones, Alcaraz said to his team in Spanish: 'He is playing much better than me.' Sinner holds aloft the men's singles trophy (AP) Sinner was flying now, taking control of the rallies, and crisply claimed an early break in the fourth with two razor-sharp backhands down the line. But could Alcaraz, like Paris last month, somehow claw back victory from the jaws of defeat? No sequel on that front. Advertisement 'Finish him Jannik', one overzealous punter roared. And there would be no fifth set this time. Sinner saved two break points at 4-3 and soon, a mirror image scenario from Roland Garros was at play. One game from victory, Sinner could see the finish line ahead. With three hours on the clock, he was serving for the title at 5-4. In Paris, he was broken to love. But in London, on match point No 2, a final thunderous serve down the T sealed the biggest moment of his career so far, his fourth Grand Slam in the bag. And Sinner, finally, could put to bed his torturous Alcaraz curse.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Wimbledon: Kgothatso Montjane makes winning start to her singles campaign
JOHANNESBURG – Wheelchair tennis ace Kgothatso Montjane makes a winning start to her singles campaign at Wimbledon. The reigning Wimbledon doubles champion defeated British player Cornelia Oosthuizen 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday. The Limpopo-born star's next opponent is 18-year-old French world No. 11 Ksenia Chasteau, who caused a major upset by dismantling second seed Aniek van Koot. READ MORE: Kgothatso Montjane and Donald Ramphadi make it to Roland Garros doubles finals Wheelchair tennis ace Kgothatso Montjane makes it to the Roland Garros semi-finals Roland Garros: Kgothatso Montjane grabs doubles Grand Slam Last month, Montjane, alongside her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji, won the French Open title on the clay of Roland Garros. Montjane was the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete at Wimbledon when she was handed a wild card for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London in 2018. In 2012, she made Wimbledon history by being the first black South African woman to reach the final at Wimbledon while reaching the doubles final as well. Montjane competed at her first Paralympics in Beijing (2008), then in London and Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, she became the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete in the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same calendar year.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
South Africa's stars shine at Wimbledon: Ramphadi eyes quad doubles glory, Montjane makes semis
READ: Wimbledon: Kgothatso Montjane makes winning start to her singles campaign And in the women's singles Kgothatso Montjane continued her winning streak at Wimbledon, recovering from a set down to defeat France's Ksenia Chasteau 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and secure her spot in the singles semi-finals. Montjane will now face Chinese fourth seed Ziying Wang for a place in the final. In the doubles, Montjane and her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji suffered a first-round defeat, falling 6-4, 7-6(4) to Chinese second seeds Xiaohui Li and Ziying Wang. Last month, Montjane, alongside her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji, won the French Open title on the clay of Roland Garros. Montjane was the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete at Wimbledon when she was handed a wild card for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London in 2018. In 2012, she made Wimbledon history by being the first black South African woman to reach the final at Wimbledon while reaching the doubles final as well.
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
SA's Donald Ramphadi wins silver in quad wheelchair doubles at Wimbledon
JOHANNESBURG – Donald Ramphadi brought home a silver medal from Wimbledon. The Limpopo-born athlete made his first Wimbledon final in quad wheelchair doubles alongside British partner Gregory Slade. They went down to 6-0, 6-2 to Niels Vink (Netherlands) and Guy Sasson (Israel). To make the finale, Ramphadi and his partner took down second seeds Ahmet Kaplan (Turkey) and Sam Schroder (Netherlands) 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5 in the semis. At the 2025 French Open Men's Quad Doubles final Ahmet Kaplan and Donald Ramphadi claimed silver. READ: South Africa's stars shine at Wimbledon: Ramphadi eyes quad doubles glory, Montjane makes semis In 2023, Ramphadi rewrote history as he became the first South African since 1981 to win a Roland Garros title. Ramphadi, who is South Africa's leading wheelchair tennis quad player won the wheelchair quad singles title at the Belgian Open - ITF 1 series - tennis tournament in Belgium in 2022 - the year he made his Wimbledon debut.
