Jannik Sinner moved a step closer to defending his Wimbledon title with a composed victory over Jan-Lennard Struff to reach the semi-finals.
The world number one has yet to hit his best form at the Championships but acted decisively in key moments to secure a 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Germany’s 74th-ranked Struff.
The Italian also showed no signs of being affected by the 30C temperatures, following his struggles with the heat in his shock second-round exit at this year’s French Open.
Asked about struggling in the scorching conditions at Roland Garros, Sinner dryly responded: “Thanks for reminding me!
“We worked a lot after Paris trying to understand what went wrong and prepared in the best possible way.
“It was a huge test today. I felt comfortable on the physical side, a good step forwards.”
Sinner could face Novak Djokovic next, in a repeat of last year’s semi-final, if the 24-time Grand Slam champion beats Felix Auger-Aliassime later yesterday.
After being taken to a decider against Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match, Sinner has not dropped a set in his past four matches.
However, not all of those victories have been straightforward as the scoreline suggests, and the top seed has yet to find his best form at SW19.