Daniil Medvedev overcomes Jannik Sinner to reach second-consecutive Wimbledon semifinal

Daniil Medvedev broke his losing streak against Jannik Sinner to set up semifinal clash with Carlos Alcaraz.

Daniil Medvedev overcomes Jannik Sinner to reach second-consecutive Wimbledon semifinal

Daniil Medvedev Wimbledon (via Imago)

Daniil Medvedev ended his 5-match losing streak against world no.1 Jannik Sinner today after a nail-biter of a match. The Russian came from a set down to triumph in five sets, eliminating the tournament favorite with a 6-7(7), 6-4, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 win. 

Jannik Sinner looked locked in for the first hour of the match and was appearing to be cruising into his second Wimbledon semifinal. However, he lost his edge in the second set and had to take a medical timeout early in the third set as he felt sick and dizzy. After he returned to the court, he bravely fought to return from a breakdown in the third to take it to a tiebreak which he failed to convert. 

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The next set went by quickly as the reigning Australian Open champion secured two breaks early in the set and consolidated it with a flawless service game to seal it 6-2. 

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Daniil Medvedev had a slight advantage in the fifth as he was to serve first. That took some pressure off him and allowed him to stay in the lead if he held service games consistently. Doing exactly this, he went up 2-1 where he earned a 40-0 lead on Sinner’s serve.

After two incredible serves, Sinner was set to take the game into deuce but a forehand error gave Medvedev the break. This game proved decisive as Medvedev then held three service games to secure his first victory over his Italian rival since last October. Medvedev will now face Carlos Alcaraz in what will be a blockbuster semifinal on Thursday.

Daniil Medvedev admits he found it difficult to face a struggling opponent in Jannik Sinner

Medvedev has always rated Sinner highly but he had to deal with a different version of the Italian today. Professional tennis players often retire from matches when they don’t feel their best, but in some situations, they toughen up and decide to continue as Sinner did today. 

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner (inset) and Daniil Medvedev {via Imago}

Such situations are tricky for opponents to handle as they may affect them mentally and also make them passive. Medvedev was forced into such a situation when a sick Sinner instantaneously closed in on him just as he was poised to win the third set. Despite the setbacks, the Russian managed to win the set and also the match. He spoke about what his thought process was like as he managed to stay ‘selfish’ and snatch the win out of an injured opponent’s hands.

It's actually very tough, as I said. One moment he can't move that well so it's always tricky because you wanna play more points to make him suffer a little bit more.
Daniil Medvedev at the post-match interview

He also mentioned that during a set break, he saw the score of the Carlos Alcaraz-Tommy Paul match that was happening. He asked the gathered audience to check out that match as well, as it was taking an interesting turn.

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