Medvedev Knocks Out No. 1 Sinner, Sets Up Alcaraz Semifinal Showdown

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner was attended to by a trainer and briefly left the court during the third set, but managed a comeback in the fourth before falling again in the fifth. He ultimately lost to Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3 in the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday.

“It's always tricky, because you want to play more points to make him suffer a little bit more — in a good way — and at the same time, you know that he at one point is going to say, ‘OK, I can not run anymore so I'm going to go full power,'” said Medvedev, the fifth seed, who will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals for the second year in a row. “And that's what he did.”

Alcaraz, seeded No. 3, took a while to find his rhythm in his quarterfinal match, but once he did, he cruised to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 12 seed Tommy Paul at No. 1 Court. The 21-year-old Alcaraz, who won the French Open last month, is aiming for his fourth Grand Slam title.

On Centre Court, it was unclear what was ailing Sinner, who had his heart rate checked while sitting on the sideline before heading to the locker room. The 22-year-old Italian returned after about 10 minutes and resumed playing, but lost the first game back at love.

After being broken by 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev to trail 2-1 in the third set, Sinner sought medical attention again and leaned back in his chair. He rested his head in his hand while speaking with the trainer before heading to the locker room.

During a later changeover, Sinner covered his head with a towel. Although he regained his energy, particularly on his powerful forehand, and forced the match to a fifth set — the 36th set of the tournament, the most in any Grand Slam event in the Open era since 1968 — Sinner could not secure the win.

“He was not feeling that good … and then he started playing better,” Medvedev commented.

Medvedev began hitting more winners, recording 13 in the final set alone, and broke serve for a 3-1 lead, then held serve for 4-1 on his way to the semifinals and a rematch against Alcaraz.

Sinner, a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, had a nine-match winning streak coming into Tuesday, including a grass-court title in Halle, Germany, last month. He moved up to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on June 10, replacing Novak Djokovic, after reaching the semifinals at the French Open.

Sinner's loss follows that of the No. 1 women's seed, Iga Swiatek, in the third round. This marks the first time since 2018 that both the top male and female seeds have exited Wimbledon before the semifinals. In 2018, Roger Federer lost in the quarterfinals and Simona Halep in the third round.

Medvedev had lost his five previous matches against Sinner, including in the final of the Australian Open in January. In that match, Medvedev won the first two sets before Sinner made a comeback to win in five sets for his first Grand Slam title.

Medvedev's career record in major finals stands at 1-5. He is now one win away from a seventh Grand Slam final appearance.