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July 08 2024
Jannik Sinner: On Sunday at Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner absolutely He played like the top-ranked player in the PIF ATP Rankings.
The Italian defeated dangerous 14th seed Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(9) to reach the quarter-finals of the championship for the third consecutive year. The 22-year-old is the first Italian player in history to reach the last eight at Wimbledon three times.
Sinner had to work hard in his first two matches (both four-setters), especially in the second round blockbuster against his compatriot Matteo Berrettini, who pushed him to a fourth set tie-break. He has not lost a set in two matches since then.
The top seed needed to be sharp against Shelton, who loves competing on the biggest stages against top players. The American beat the Italian in a final-set tie-break last October. It wasn't outlandish to think Shelton could cause problems for this year's Australian Open champion with his blistering serve on the grass of No. 1 Court.
But for the most part, Sinner neutralized Shelton's serve. The 14th seed won only 70 percent of his first serve points and lost four service games in the two-hour, eight-minute match.
Shelton entered this encounter after playing every day of the tournament due to rain, and he played the maximum 15 sets across three matches. Sinner significantly dominated rallies by a margin of zero to four shots, 81-62, and pushed his opponent well back from the baseline during many rallies.
Shelton is best when he controls his serve and dictates the action. But Sinner, who is now 42-3 this season, did well in controlling how the match would play out.
As the match progressed, the 21-year-old Shelton made his way into the fourth round clash and broke the Italian's serve early in the third set.
After gaining the break, Sinner thrilled the crowd with a sudden forward-facing tweener half-volley in response to Shelton's perfect return at 4-5, 40/30 in the third set. The Italian eventually won the point with a forehand passing shot and both players couldn't help but smile.
"It was just luck! There's nothing to talk about. I don't know. At times... I'm at a loss for words, really!"
Shelton earned three set points in the third set tie-break but could not keep his hopes of reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals alive. Of those three chances, the former University of Florida player's best chance came at 6/5 when he tried an inside-out forehand and missed wide.
Sinner, who now leads Shelton 3-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, will play either fifth seed Daniil Medvedev or 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.
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