- Sinner was unable to bypass the master tactician after falling ill in the third set
- The Italian received a medical timeout after struggling with dizzy spells
- Medvedev faces Carlos Alcaraz after defending champion downed Tommy Paul
The Slim Reaper – as Nick Kyrgios calls Daniil Medvedev – spirited world No 1 Jannik Sinner out of Wimbledon and denied fans the semi-final they hoped for and expected.
The gangly Russian took out one half of tennis’s next great rivalry and will on Friday try to finish the job by upsetting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Medvedev avenged his defeat in the Australian Open final and snapped a five-match losing streak against Sinner, who struggled with dizziness and went off court for a medical timeout in the third set. The red-haired Italian is pale at the best of times but here he look blanched and wan.
‘Already this morning I didn’t feel great. Had some problems. Then with the fatigue… it was tough,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘I was not feeling great. I didn’t vomit but took some time because I was dizzy.
‘It was not easy. I tried to fight with that what I had today.’
He made a fair fight of it and actually had one of his better spells immediately after returning to the court, breaking back and having two third-set points.
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But he was clearly below-par and Medvedev took ruthless advantage, winning 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 in exactly four hours. It was the 36th five-set match of the fortnight, an Open Era record. There were 35 at this year’s Australian Open and it shows how incredibly high the general standard of the top 100 is becoming.
Medvedev is incredibly consistent and a master tactician – surely among the worst players to face when physically compromised. ‘You want to make him suffer a little bit more,’ was his frank description of his approach to Sinner’s health issues.
The 28-year-old Russian showed how his grass court game is developing, volleying more and varying his return position from his usual berth next to the line judges. That latter adjustment will be vital in his semi-final against Alcaraz. They met here last year at the same stage and Alcaraz exploited his deep position on the court with a blitz of serve-volley and drop shots.
Asked what makes Alcaraz such a dangerous opponent, Medvedev replied: ‘To be honest, everything. You know whatever shot you hit, he can hit a winner from there. There are not many players like that.’
The 21-year-old Spaniard has not been at his best this fortnight, producing some rushed and untidy tennis. The first two sets against Tommy Paul – a man who has beaten him twice before – went the same way but Alcaraz was electric in the second half of the match, taking it 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
He is edging back to the form that won him this title last year. With Sinner out, a repeat of last year’s classic between Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic is the most likely finale. The Serb faces Alex de Minaur on Wednesday, with Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti contesting the other quarter-final.