Tennis
Sinner fights back to defeat Alcaraz in a thrilling fourth round
Italian Jannik Sinner had a memorable day on his Centre Court debut, defeating fifth seed Carlos Alcaraz in a match of up-and-comers, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 to advance to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time.
The two youngest players left in the men’s draw provided a preview of the future on a day when Wimbledon’s most iconic stage celebrated its centennial with some magnificent shotmaking that earned them a standing ovation from 15,000 cheering spectators.
However, there was little to no hint over the first two sets of the gripping drama that would ultimately play out on Centre Court.
Alcaraz, a highly regarded Spaniard who leads the Tour with four victories this year, was caught up in a Sinner cyclone after trailing 1-0 in the first set. He dropped seven straight games.
After overcoming that setback, the 19-year-old Spaniard denied Sinner two match points in the third set tiebreaker before letting three more pass by with Alcaraz serving in the fourth set with a 5-2 deficit.
However, Sinner persevered through the onslaught of thunderous victories to finally secure his spot in the round of eight in his sixth attempt when Alcaraz rolled a forehand into the net.
