Sinner and Alcaraz eye Wimbledon semi-finals while Sun targets history

Sinner, Medvedev continue rollercoaster rivalry Jannik Sinner, the current world number one, and fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev have faced off 11 times, showcasing the emergence of the lanky Italian.

Medvedev emerged victorious in their first six encounters, while Sinner has triumphed in the last five.

All of their matches have taken place on hard courts, with Sinner staging a remarkable comeback from two sets down to defeat Medvedev in the Australian Open final earlier this year, securing his maiden Grand Slam title.

Both players were semifinalists at Wimbledon in 2023.

"When Jannik first joined the tour, he hit the ball hard from all areas of the court, but he was making a lot of mistakes and losing matches," noted Medvedev from Russia.

"However, he has significantly reduced his errors and now he is an extremely tough opponent to beat. That's why he currently holds the top spot in the world rankings."

Ben Shelton, the opponent who was defeated by the sinner in the last-16, was amazed by the Italian's powerful shots.

"The ball was moving so fast, I couldn't even keep up with it," mentioned the American player.

Alcaraz has aspirations of achieving a double in sports. The defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, is set to face Tommy Paul, the 12th seeded American, in hopes of making it to his sixth Grand Slam semi-final.

The 21-year-old is eager to finish his Wimbledon commitments in time to watch Spain face France in the Euro 2024 semi-finals in Germany. Alcaraz shares a close friendship with Spain's captain, Alvaro Morata.

"It's time to show my support for them, just like they support me during my matches and tournaments," expressed Alcaraz.

He is aiming to become only the sixth man to consecutively win the French Open and Wimbledon titles.

Paul, who is 27 years old, is in his first Wimbledon quarter-final but had previously won the Queen's title on grass. He has won two out of four matches against Alcaraz.

Lulu Sun, a resident of a small town in New Zealand, has made history by becoming the first New Zealand woman to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals. She is striving to become the second Kiwi woman to reach a Slam semi-final after Belinda Cordwell in the 1989 Australian Open.

Ranked at 123, Sun advanced through the qualifiers and has defeated Zheng Qinwen, the eighth-ranked Australian Open runner-up, as well as the 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu.

The 23-year-old left-hander, who comes from a small town in New Zealand's South Island, described it as having "more sheep and deer than people." She has hit 21 aces in four rounds and leads the tournament with 162 winners but has also committed 131 unforced errors.

Donna Vekic, who is facing Sun in the upcoming match, is a former top-20 player with four titles. She is also in her first Wimbledon quarter-final, having previously reached the last eight at the 2019 US Open and 2023 Australian Open.

"I am not very familiar with her," Vekic mentioned about Sun. "But reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon is not something that happens by chance."