Jasmine Paolini made history on Tuesday night by becoming the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. World no.1 Jannik Sinner lost in five sets to Russian Medvedev after receiving medical attention for a dizzy spell during the third set. Lorenzo Musetti faces American Taylor Fritz in the quarters later today.
The 28-year-old Jasmine Paolini, ranked world number seven and a recent French Open finalist, defeated American world number 19 Emma Navarro in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. Paolini, who had never won a match on grass before this year, will face Croatian world number 37 Donna Vladic in the semi-final on Thursday.
“It’s incredible, it’s crazy to have won on this court,” said the Tuscan after her debut on Centre Court. “I’m so happy I don’t know what to say at the moment. It’s special to be in the semi-final here, becoming world number five is incredible.” Paolini described reaching the semi-finals as a “dream” she had since childhood when she watched Wimbledon.
“It’s a dream to play these matches,” she added.
Sinner out in five sets
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner discussed his recent Wimbledon quarter-final match against Daniil Medvedev. Sinner experienced a dizzy spell and left the court during the third set of his five-set defeat but insisted he never considered retiring.
“I didn’t want to go off, I didn’t feel well, I had some nausea and dizziness, but I thought it would be enough to rest a few minutes,” said the 22-year-old South Tyrolean, the current world number one and Australian Open champion. Despite taking a six-minute break, Sinner won the set but eventually lost the match 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 2-6, 6-3 after more than four hours of play.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Daniil, who deserved it today because he played the important points better. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in perfect physical condition, and that affected me a little,” Sinner admitted. Feeling “frustrated” by the loss, Sinner is now focusing on the Paris Olympics and the US Open.
World number five and 2021 US Open champion Medvedev, 28, will face world number three and reigning French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 21, in the semi-finals. Medvedev’s victory over Sinner allowed him to avenge his defeat in the Australian Open final earlier this year.
Musetti faces American Fritz in quarters
Lorenzo Musetti has advanced to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time, and his opponent Taylor Fritz has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the second time.
Fritz is currently two games to one in their head-to-head matches, and as the higher ranked player is considered most likely to win. However, in their last meeting – Monte Carlo, on clay – Musetti took the win 6-4,6-4.
