By India Today Sports Desk: Jannik Sinner, the eighth seed, reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time after defeating the powerful Russian Roman Safiullin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the Wimbledon pre-quarters match.
Sinner, at 21 years old, has capitalized on a favorable draw at the grasscourt major tournament this year. He accomplished a rare feat by becoming the first male player since Boris Becker and Pete Sampras in 1995 to reach the final four without facing any opponents ranked in the top 50.
Sinner became only the third Italian man, after Nicola Pietrangeli and Matteo Berrettini, to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, but he had to overcome a hiccup against the inspired Safiullin midway through the match.
“It means a lot to me. We put a lot of work in, many hours also off the court, a lot of sacrifices for this moment so it means a lot for me and it means a lot to share it with you guys,” Sinner said on court.
“It’s a nice moment for me. I just try to play my tennis. Every match has a little bit of its own story and obviously I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals.”
Both players started the match with high intensity under the roof of Court One, which occasionally posed slippery conditions. Sinner managed to secure a crucial break for a 5-4 lead in the first set by delivering a barrage of powerful shots from the baseline. He then comfortably held his serve in the subsequent game, taking a one-set advantage over Safiullin.
Despite losing his serve early in the second set, world number 92 Safiullin didn’t let his spirits drop, and the Wimbledon debutant reeled off five games in a row from 1-3 down to tie the match. Sinner won the next set in 34 minutes, and the match was effectively over when he broke for a 4-2 lead in the fourth set, which he won when Safiullin hit a wide shot.
Sinner’s next opponent will be either holder Novak Djokovic or seventh seed Andrey Rublev.
“I’ll go on to the court with a good mentality,” Sinner said. “I know Novak hasn’t lost on Centre Court in 10 years, so it’s going to be a tough one.
“But who knows, maybe it’s my day. Andrey will also be playing in the semi-finals for the first time (if he makes it through).
“I’m just trying to rest and enjoy one of my most important matches until now, it’s going to be a special moment.”
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