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Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz in a tough four-setter on Sunday to romp into the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Sinner made a blistering start against the teenager, winning eight of the opening nine games before Alcaraz established a foothold in the match. The Italian took a commanding two-set lead before Alcaraz began to offer sterner resistance.
In a competitive third set, the Spaniard saved two match points in the tie-break before reducing arrears. However, Sinner soon regained control of the proceedings, grabbing an early break and recovering from 40-0 down on serve to go ahead 4-1. The solitary break sufficed as the Italian made good on his sixth match point to reach the quarterfinals.
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Sinner achieved a few milestones in the process. Here's a look at three of them in no particular order:
#1 Jannik Sinner becomes youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 8 years
Winless on grass before arriving at SW19 last week, Jannik Sinner now has four wins on the surface - all at Wimbledon. Sinner kicked off his campaign with a four-set win over three-time Major winner Stan Wawrinka to notch up his first win on grass.
The Italian was again taken to four sets in the second round but had enough to beat Sweden's Mikael Ymer. The 10th seed had a more comfortable outing in the next round. He saw out two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray's conqueror John Isner in straight sets before overcoming Alcaraz in a four-set thriller to reach the last eight.
That made the 20-year-old the youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist since a 19-year-old Nick Kyrgios beat Rafael Nadal to reach the last eight.
The World No. 13 will hope to fare better than Kyrgios managed eight years ago - the Australian fell to Milos Raonic. However, Sinner will have his task cut out against three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
In his only previous meeting with the Serb, Sinner fell in straight sets in the second round in Monte Carlo last year. With the kind of form Djokovic is in, he's likely to extend his 25-match win streak at Wimbledon against the Italian.
#2 Jannik Sinner becomes youngest man to reach Grand Slam quarterfinals on all 3 surfaces
The stock of Jannik Sinner continues to rise. The 20-year-old may not have reached a tournament final this year but has won 31 of his 39 matches.
Earlier this year, the Italian made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal on hardcourt when he reached the Australian Open last eight. However, he was beaten by Stefanos Tsitisipas in straight sets.
It's worth noting that Sinner marked his Roland Garros debut two years ago with a run to the quarterfinals, losing to eventual winner 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal in straight sets. Fast forward two years, the 20-year-old will play his first Grand Slam quarterfinal on grass.
By beating Alcaraz on Sunday, Sinner became the youngest male player to reach Major quarterfinals on all three surfaces.
In his 11th main draw appearance at a Major, Sinner will look to reach the semis for the first time.
#3 Jannik Sinner becomes 12th active player to reach Major quarterfinal on all 3 surfaces
With his victory over Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner became the 12th active player to reach Major quarterfinals on all three surfaces.
He joins the Big 3 of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and nine other players in the exclusive group. Sinner is the second Italian player in the group, emulating Matteo Berretini, who reached the Wimbledon final last year.
The big Italian, who pulled out of SW19 this year after contracting COVID-19, reached his first hardcourt semifinal at the 2019 US Open (lost to eventual winner Rafael Nadal). Two years later, he reached the last eight on the Roland Garros clay before making the Wimbledon final last year, losing to Novak Djokovic on both occasions.
Sinner will hope to emulate his compatriot as he seeks to clear the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time.
