WORLD NO 1 JANNIK SINNER DOMINATES US HOTSHOT BEN SHELTON IN STRAIGHT SETS TO REACH THE QUARTER-FINALS... KEEPING HIM ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH WIMBLEDON CHAMPION CARLOS ALCARAZ
- Jannik Sinner is world No 1 but he is going in search of a first Wimbledon title
- The Italian made light work of big serving American youngster Ben Shelton
- Sinner will face Grigor Dimitrov or Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals next
There is a school of thought that Jannik Sinner is not very well known outside of tennis circles despite being world No 1 – but this week could be the one that finally propels him into the public consciousness.
In breezing past big-serving American Ben Shelton in straight sets, the Australian Open winner Sinner booked a quarter-final date with one of Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov and would likely face reigning SW19 champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.
On the evidence of the first seven days of these championships, Sinner would be favourite. Not just to topple the heir-apparent to the Big Four of men's tennis but to win the lot and take a second Grand Slam title.
Though Sinner, 22, is yet to capture the imaginations of armchair sports fans, it is clear the All England Club – and his representatives – are keen to push his publicity.
To put it simply, you cannot go one minute without seeing his face plastered on a poster in the grounds.
In a promotional campaign last year, Wimbledon and British tennis legend Andy Murray was omitted from an illustration which showed the 'new guard' walking down the stairs ahead of the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Sinner was in the foreground.
His face is on Gucci billboards in central London, other modelling campaigns line the escalators at Earl's Court – a hub station where many change on to the District Line to head to SW19 – and the Italian is central to adverts at Southfields and down the walk to the All England Club.
Designer brands, advertisers and Wimbledon themselves are clearly banking on Sinner leading the next generation – and with good reason. He was clinical against Shelton here, racing through the first two sets and showing steel when tested in the third to win 6-2, 6-4, 7-6.
Shelton was a wannabe American football quarterback as a kid, which goes some way to understanding where he honed his monstrous serve. He hit 15 aces but ultimately his serve let him down, double-faulting to hand Sinner the match in a 20-point tie-break.
There is work to be done for Sinner's grass-court game but in a relatively short match – two hours and eight minutes – he showed class and calmness to go ahead and then see out a convincing victory.
'Very tough match especially the third set,' said Sinner.
'In these kind of matches, they can be very long – I am very happy to close it in three. We want to win but we want to make a show for all the fans. We try to smile and be excited on the court.
'The next match will be tough. It is a huge honour and privilege to play here. Hopefully it will be a good match to watch.'
Read more 2024-07-07T17:21:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd
