LONDON — Reigning champion Jannik Sinner clinically swept aside record-chasing Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals to set up a title showdown with Alexander Zverev.
The world No 1 powered to a brilliant 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Centre Court over the 39-year-old Djokovic, whose latest bid for a 25th Grand Slam hit a now familiar stumbling block.
Sinner has not dropped a set in the tournament since needing a decider to see off Miomir Kecmanovic in a rusty first-round showing after not playing a grass-court event in the build-up to Wimbledon for the first time.
The 24-year-old Italian will be favoured to retain the title when he faces French Open champion Zverev in his seventh major final, after winning his last nine meetings with the German world No 3.
Sinner is targeting his fifth Grand Slam title, which would bring him within two of the tally of his great rival Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined by a wrist injury.
Djokovic was again hoping to break his tie with Margaret Court for the all-time record of most Grand Slam singles trophies, AFP reported.
He kept that dream alive with a remarkable five-and-a-quarter-hour win over Felix Auger-Aliassime in the longest ever Wimbledon quarterfinal earlier this week.
But the Serb did not have enough left in the tank to seriously push Sinner, who crushed 40 winners past Djokovic in a dominant performance.
Djokovic will be 40 by the time he has another chance to draw level with Roger Federer’s record eight Wimbledon titles.
His last Grand Slam title came at the 2023 US Open, since when he has lost six major semifinals, four of them to Sinner.
Djokovic managed to get the better of Sinner, who is 15 years his junior, in the Australian Open last four earlier this year, but lost to Alcaraz in the final.
Sinner has bounced back impressively in south-west London over the past two weeks, after suffering a shock defeat – only his third of the year – in the French Open second round against unheralded Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
There was a low-key opening to such a high-profile match, with a large portion of the crowd yet to retake their seats following home hero Arthur Fery’s loss to Zverev in the other semifinal.
But Sinner was all business, breaking in the ninth game before serving out the first set.
Djokovic managed to stave off two break points in game five of the second set.
But it was only short-lived relief for the seventh seed as Sinner broke for a 4-3 lead before two ruthless holds to love saw him move one set from the final.
