Sinner eyes Djokovic showdown after moving into Wimbledon semis

LONDON: Jannik Sinner is on course for a blockbuster Wimbledon showdown with Novak Djokovic after the defending champion ended German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff’s fairytale run in the quarter-finals.
Sinner won 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Court One and will face Djokovic in the last four if the seven-time Wimbledon champion beats Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime later on Tuesday.
In the women’s tournament, Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova reached their first Wimbledon semifinals.
With Wimbledon basking in sweltering temperatures this week, world number one Sinner had to answer some uncomfortable questions about his ability to withstand the heat.
The 24-year-old Italian wilted in the recent French Open when the mercury reached boiling point, sparking a stunning second-round defeat against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, who battled back from two sets and 5-1 down to beat Sinner.
Bidding to win Wimbledon for the second successive year, Sinner lived up to his claim that he would cope with the London heatwave against Struff — at 36 the oldest man to become a first-time quarter-finalist at the majors in the Open era.
The four-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t at his best, but his booming serve kept world number 74 Struff at bay as he reached his 10th Grand Slam semifinal and third at Wimbledon.
“It was a huge test today.

I felt comfortable on the physical side, a good step forward,” Sinner said.
“We worked a lot after Paris trying to understand what went wrong and prepared in the best possible way.”
Djokovic hopes to equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon singles titles by winning a record 25th major.
That would make him the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in the Open era.
Victory for the 39-year-old Serb against third seeded