Sinner sets up battle of the generations with Djokovic

LONDON : Nothing could throw Jannik Sinner off course on Sunday as he zoned in on securing a blockbuster quarter-final date with six-times champion Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

Even when Carlos Alcaraz snatched away two match points during a spellbinding third-set tiebreak, the Italian did not flinch.

When three more match points disappeared within a blink of an eye with Sinner 5-2 up in the fourth set, the Italian kept on believing.

And it was that belief, along with a sledgehammer of a forehand, that carried him into the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time with a 6-1 6-4 6-7(8) 6-3 victory over the Spanish fifth seed.

On a day when Wimbledon's most famous stage celebrated its centenary, the two youngest players left in the men's draw gave a glimpse of the future with some breathtaking shot-making that earned them a standing ovation from 15,000 hollering fans.

"It's tough when you have match point and you still have to play - I tried my best," said Sinner, who until this week had never won a match on grass.

"I'm very happy how I reacted in the beginning of the fourth because I was struggling but I'm very happy to be in the next round and hopefully I can play some good tennis there."

With Wimbledon's all-time greats Rod Laver and Billie Jean King watching on from the Royal Box, the first two sets gave absolutely no indication of the nail-biting drama that would unfold on Centre Court.

The highly-rated Alcaraz, who has won a Tour-leading four titles this year, was sucked into a Sinner whirlwind as he lost seven games in a row from 1-1 in the first set.

Just when it seemed that Sinner would unceremoniously freeze out the friend with whom he had shared an ice bath two days earlier, Alcaraz's fearsome forehand suddenly