Wimbledon 2022: Djokovic beats Sinner to advance to semi-finals

LONDON: Just when Novak Djokovic’s troubling year looked like hitting another low he salvaged his bid for a fourth successive Wimbledon title by coming back from two sets down to beat Italian Jannik Sinner on Tuesday.

The Serbian top seed had looked in all kinds of trouble against the inspired 20-year-old after being outplayed for two sets but stormed back to win 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2.

In the end there was an air of inevitability about the outcome as the battle-hardened 35-year-old seized control to reach his 43rd Grand Slam semi-final and 11th at Wimbledon.

Djokovic has not been able to add to his 20 major titles this year after being deported from the Australian Open following a COVID-19 standoff and then losing to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the French Open.

But he kept alive the prospect of facing second seed Nadal in Sunday’s final with a superb comeback, the seventh time in his career he has triumphed after losing the first two sets.

Sinner, who was bidding to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Matteo Berrettini who reached last year’s final, showed why he is being tipped as a future Grand Slam champion but he faded in the face of a Djokovic onslaught.

When the Serbian produced a miraculous backhand winner on the slide to earn a break in the seventh game of the fifth set, ending on his belly in a superman posture, 10th seed Sinner knew that he was facing mission impossible.

The Italian belted a volley long on the next point and then Djokovic held to love to seal victory.

Maria downs Niemeier to reach semis

Experience overcame youth in the Wimbledon quarterfinals when 34-year-old Tatjana Maria beat Jule Niemeier, 22, 4-6 6-2 7-5 in an entertaining battle of German outsiders.

Maria, who returned from maternity leave only last summer after giving birth to her second daughter, is ranked 103 in the world and Niemeier 97.

Both women started nervously, spraying errors on either side of Court 1, but Niemeier, playing at her first Wimbledon, took the early initiative, breaking in the first game and grabbing the set when Maria put a forehand wide.

Maria, upped her game in the second set, producing some telling returns, heavy slice and deft drop shots. She took the set with a volleyed winner on Niemeier’s serve.

Neither woman had reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal before but Maria held her nerve in the final set, breaking back after dropping her serve in the fifth game, then taking the match when Niemeier, on serve, netted on match point.

RESULTS: Men: QF: N Djokovic bt J Sinner 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Fourth round: R Nadal bt B van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6). Women: QF: T Maria bt J Niemeier 4-6, 6-2, 7-5