LONDON: Jannik Sinner overcame Ben Shelton in straight sets to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second time on Wednesday, easing fears over an elbow injury he suffered in the previous round.
Sinner wore a protective sleeve on his right arm and could be seen grimacing at times in his 7-6(7/2), 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory against 10th seed Shelton on Court One.
But the 23-year-old battled through the discomfort. Sinner had sparked fears he may have to pull out of Wimbledon after injuring his right elbow in an awkward fall during his fourth-round tie against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday.
The Italian top seed was trailing by two sets and on the brink of a shock defeat when Dimitrov pulled a pectoral muscle while serving and had to retire from the match.Sinner dropped just 17 games to equal a 53-year-old record for the fewest games conceded en route to the Wimbledon men’s last 16.
But Sinner’s injury had thrown into doubt his bid to reach a fourth successive Grand Slam final.
He could take heart from victories over Shelton in the Wimbledon fourth round last year and on his way to winning the Australian Open in January.
Shelton had surpassed dad and coach Bryan, who reached the last-16 in Wimbledon 31 years ago, but he was no match for Sinner, even if the Italian was not 100 per cent fit.
Sinner ground his way through a gruelling first set lasting 52 minutes.
He looked more uncomfortable as the match wore on, with a concerned expression on his face after grabbing his elbow following a big groundstroke in the sixth game of the second set.
However, Shelton was also in the wars and the 22-year-old needed his left ankle re-taped late in the set.
Sinner broke in the 10th game to move into a two-set lead.
The third set was a tight affair, going with serve until the 10th game, when Shelton faltered.
Sinner needed three match points but celebrated when the American went long.
Meanwhile, five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek said she had “goosebumps” after her 6-2, 7-5 win against Russian 19th seed Liudmila Samsonova.
The Polish eighth seed has won four titles on the clay at the French Open, as well as the US Open in 2022, but her previous best result at Wimbledon was a run to the quarter-finals in 2023.
“It feels great. Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament I’ve already got goosebumps after this win. I’m super happy and super proud of myself and I’ll keep going,” she said.
She faces Switzerland’s Bencic for a place in the final.
The former Olympic champion advanced to her maiden All England Club semi-final with a 7-6(7/3), 7-6(7/2) win against Russian seventh seed Mirra Andreeva.
The 28-year-old had a daughter, Bella, in April 2024, but has already risen back up to 35 in the world since returning from maternity leave.
“It’s crazy, it’s unbelievable. It’s a dream come true. I tried not to think about it at the match point. I’m just speechless,” Bencic said.
ALCARAZ BLAZES PAST NORRIE
On Tuesday, Carlos Alcaraz had warned that facing Cameron Norrie could be a nightmare. For a fleeting moment, it looked like the defending Wimbledon champion might be in for a fright.
The Spaniard stumbled early, trailing 0-40 in his opening service game on Centre Court. Any chance of an upset, however, was swiftly dashed as Alcaraz roared to a commanding 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 quarter-final victory — one that should send a shudder down the spine of anyone hoping to dethrone him.
With hundreds of empty seats at the start — fans still trickling back after Aryna Sabalenka’s drawn-out quarter-final — Alcaraz wasted no time asserting his dominance.
By the time the crowd returned to rally behind Britain’s last remaining singles hope, the second seed had blazed through the first set in 28 minutes, dazzling with his trademark blend of power and flair.
Norrie, unseeded and unorthodox, did his best to resist. He even raised his arms in mock celebration after holding serve late in the third set.
But the outcome was never in doubt. Alcaraz, now on a 23-match winning streak, was simply too good.
Alcaraz’s eighth Grand Slam semi-final will be against American Taylor Fritz but before he continues his quest for a third successive Wimbledon title he has two days off owing to the All England Club schedule.
He would probably prefer to get straight back on court, such is the momentum he is building. When asked how he would use the time, one wag in the crowd suggested he could return to the Ibiza, the Balearic party island where he let his hair down after his second successive French Open title last month.
A beaming Alcaraz said something more sedate would suffice.
“I might try to go to the city centre if I have time. I want to play some golf with my team which will be fun,” he said. “What I have been doing so far has worked so we will try to switch off together.”
FOGNINI RETIRES
On Wednesday, Italy’s Fabio Fognini announced his retirement, calling time on a 21-year career that culminated with a memorable five-set thriller against Alcaraz that left Centre Court on its feet.
The 38-year-old veteran pushed Alcaraz to the brink over more than 4-1/2 hours last week, twice clawing his way back into the contest against a player 16 years his junior before eventually falling 7-5, 6-7(5/7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round.
Despite the defeat, Fognini walked off to a standing ovation in his final Wimbledon appearance, a fitting farewell he clearly relished at what he described as the “most beautiful court in the world”.
“I think it is the best way to say goodbye,” Fognini, who once reached a career-high of world number nine, told reporters.
“It wasn’t easy because the last three years of my career I was suffering a lot with injury. But as a competitor, I tried to do my best every time I stepped on court.
“But now I have to be honest with myself. I was not really positive, but now I have to be. I have to congratulate myself and say after that match I don’t want to come back in some stage that I don’t want to be there.”
Fognini is married to Flavia Pennetta, who famously won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2015 U.S. Open at the age of 33 before retiring later that year.
However, Fognini said he had no such opportunities as he acknowledged the harsh reality of competing during the sport’s golden era when the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic dominated the game.
Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2025
