Jannik Sinner’s fifth straight Wimbledon quarterfinal puts him across the net from Jan-Lennard Struff, one of the biggest surprises still left in the draw.
Jan-Lennard Struff, the world No. 74, has already delivered the best subplot of this Wimbledon — becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to reach a first Grand Slam quarterfinal at 36. He did it the hard way, needing three five-setters and a Hubert Hurkacz retirement to get through four rounds. That’s the first thing to know about this match. The German has played 18 of a possible 20 sets so far, and now he draws Jannik Sinner — who hasn’t been tested at all since the opening round.
Sinner cruised past Shintaro Mochizuki in straight sets on Sunday and has not dropped a set since the first Monday (a five-setter against Miomir Kecmanovic), arriving at this quarterfinal with far more in the tank. The Italian, who crashed out of the French Open in sweltering conditions, should not have any such trouble in London on Tuesday — as it’s forecasted to be in the low 80s.
The head-to-head series stands at 3-0 in favor of Sinner, but their only meeting on grass — in Halle two years ago — went the distance, a 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 slog in which Struff forced two tiebreakers and made Sinner work for every service game. However, it’s notable that Struff was playing at home.
That match is the blueprint for how Struff stays competitive in this one. His serve is dangerous on grass, he’s aggressive at net, and he keeps points short. The problem is more that the German’s 36-year-old legs have played an awful lot of tennis and he is facing the world No. 1. Expect Struff to hold his own in patches and maybe steal a set if his serve is landing, but Sinner is by far the superior player.
Cheryl pick: Sinner in 3
Ricky pick: Sinner in 3
WWW?
Sinner in straight sets.
Sinner looks a lot more human at this years Wimbledon.