– Ikenna Okafor
World No. 13 Jannik Sinner described Carlos Alcaraz as a “very tough opponent” and a “very nice person” after upsetting the fifth-seeded Spaniard in the Wimbledon last-16. On Sunday, Sinner delivered a great performance as he saw off Alcaraz 6-1 6-4 6-7 (8) 6-3 to progress into his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal.
“Carlos is a very tough opponent and a very nice person, so it is always a huge pleasure for me to play against him,” said Sinner in his on-court interview, per the ATP website. “Today with such a great crowd and a special day today, 100 years [of Centre Court].
It’s just amazing”. In the third set tie-break, Sinner missed out on two match points as Alcaraz managed to force a fourth set. After losing a tight first set, Sinner bounced back at the start of the fourth set with an early 3-0 lead.
In the eighth game on Alcaraz’s serve, Sinner missed out on three match points. After blowing a total of five match points, Sinner was able to realize his sixth match point on his serve in the ninth game.
”It’s tough when you have match point, and you still have to play [on],” Sinner noted.
“I tried my best, it is just part of the game, part of tennis, and obviously I am very happy how I reacted, because in the first [game] I was struggling. I am very happy to be in the next round and hopefully I can play some good tennis [then too]”.
Sinner relishes victory over Alcaraz