Top seed Jannik Sinner, after being treated by a trainer and temporarily leaving the court during the third set, appeared to recover in the fourth set but ultimately fell to Daniil Medvedev in a five-set battle at the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Tuesday. Medvedev triumphed with a scoreline of 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3.
“It’s always tricky, because you want to play more points to make him suffer a little bit more — in a good way — and at the same time, you know that he at one point is going to say, ‘OK, I cannot run anymore so I’m going to go full power,’” said the fifth-seeded Medvedev, who will meet defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals for the second consecutive year. “And that’s what he did.”
Third seed Alcaraz had a slow start in his quarterfinal match but eventually cruised to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over 12th seed Tommy Paul at No. 1 Court. The 21-year-old Alcaraz is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title after winning the French Open last month.
At Centre Court, Sinner’s condition was unclear as he had his heart rate checked on the sidelines before heading to the locker room. The 22-year-old Italian returned after about 10 minutes but lost the first game back without winning a point.
Sinner requested medical attention again after being broken by Medvedev to trail 2-1 in the third set. He leaned back in his chair and rested his head in his hand while speaking with the trainer before heading to the locker room.
Despite covering his head with a towel during a later changeover, Sinner regained his energy, especially with his powerful forehand, and pushed the match to a fifth set. This was the 36th fifth set of the tournament, the most in any Grand Slam event since the Open era began in 1968. However, Sinner could not secure the win.
“He was not feeling that good … and then he started playing better,” Medvedev commented.
Medvedev found his rhythm in the final set, hitting 13 winners and breaking Sinner to lead 3-1. He then held serve to go up 4-1 and ultimately secured his spot in the semifinals for a rematch against Alcaraz.
Sinner, a Wimbledon semifinalist last year, had entered Tuesday’s match with a nine-match winning streak, including a grass-court title in Halle, Germany, last month. He ascended to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on June 10, replacing Novak Djokovic, after reaching the semifinals at the French Open.
Sinner’s exit follows the departure of the No. 1 women’s seed, Iga Swiatek, in the third round. This is the first time since 2018 that both top seeds have been eliminated before the Wimbledon semifinals. That year, Roger Federer lost in the quarterfinals, and Simona Halep in the third round.
Medvedev had lost his last five encounters with Sinner, including the Australian Open final in January, where he lost in five sets after taking the first two. Medvedev’s career record in major finals is currently 1-5, but he is now one win away from his seventh Grand Slam final appearance.
