Jannik Sinner lived up to his billing as Wimbledon’s poster boy by booking a grand slam semi-final place for the first time in his career.
The Italian featured prominently in an official poster alongside Carlos Alcaraz as the future of the tournament.
His presence on illustrator Grant Gruenhaupt’s artwork raised eyebrows but he is living up to the hype after reaching a grand slam semi-final for the first time with a masterful 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2 win over Roman Safiullin.
He is the youngest man to reach this stage of Wimbledon since 2007, a record that will only last until tomorrow.
But the eighth seed certainly has the game for success at SW19, dropping just two sets on his way to the last four, and was too good for the Russian, who was enjoying a breakout grand slam.
His power from the baseline and mobility around court will stand him in good stead for what is now likely to be the toughest test possible of his credentials by facing Novak Djokovic in the last four.
He said: “What should I say, it means a lot to me, we put a lot of work in and many, many hours and a lot of sacrifices for this moment.
“It means a lot, it is a very nice moment for me. I just try my best every match, I am very happy to be in the semi-finals.
“He is a very tough player to play against.”
Sinner took early control of the match and forced break points at 2-2 though could not convert, but made no mistake at 4-4, chasing down a drop shot to set up the break.
Some fierce serving allowed him to quickly take the first set and when he struck early in the second to lead 3-1 it looked like it would be over very quickly.
But Safiullin, who had never been past the second round at a grand slam before this tournament, was able to recapture the form that had seen him beat Roberto Bautista Agut and Denis Shapovalov and reeled off five successive games to level up.
Sinner was able to wrestle back control and regained the lead thanks to four successive games at the end of the third set.
He fended off break points at the start of the fourth and that proved pivotal as he made his move at 3-2, sealing a break as Safiullin pulled a forehand wide.
Sinner wrapped things up quickly after that to book his first last-four appearance at a grand slam.
Wheelchair tennis star Alfie Hewett believes he has the “weapons, heart and mentality” to win Wimbledon and complete a clean sweep of grand slam singles titles.
The individual championship at the All England Club is the only notable gap on the glittering CV of the 25-year-old, who on Wednesday afternoon begins his campaign against Belgium’s Joachim Gerard.
Hewett feels his grass-court game is in the best shape ever and is confident it is only a matter of time until he lifts the elusive trophy.
“I don’t want to be overconfident but I don’t want to sell myself short,” he said.
“There’s a title to be won and I believe I’ve got the weapons, heart and mentality to be able to do that.
“It’s an absolute dream to become a champion here and obviously with it being the one that I haven’t won here it’s an even bigger dream.
“I will try and use that as motivation, channel it in a good way and whatever happens – whether it’s this year, next year, a few years – I back myself and believe I can do it.”
Hewett won the Australian Open in January to add to a trio of singles titles at both the US Open and the French Open.
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He suffered an agonising loss to Japanese top seed Shingo Kunieda, who has since retired, in last year’s SW19 final but thinks that disappointment has strengthened his resolve.
“I don’t know how many hours of tennis I had played that week, I probably had five, 10 per cent left in the tank,” he said.
“I played against an absolute legend of the sport who was also desperate and hungry to win his very first Wimbledon title.
“I pushed him all the way to the very end and it came down to a few points. It was a turning point for me in my career in how I deal with things on the court and my mentality.”
In addition to his individual achievements, Hewett has also lifted 17 grand slam doubles titles alongside long-term partner Gordon Reid.
Those triumphs include each of the majors and four Wimbledon successes.
Scotsman Reid, who begins against Argentinian Gustavo Fernandez in the singles and will again team up with Hewett in the doubles, feels wheelchair tennis is no longer a “secondary thought”.
“The more the people are aware of it, the spectators and also the organisers and the tournament directors here, they’re more active in pushing it,” said the 31-year-old, who won the Wimbledon singles title in 2016.
“I think they see the value in it now whereas before it was maybe we were just a secondary thought.
“It’s now, the ‘wheelchair game adds something to the event’ and that’s good for them and also good for us.
“It’s the best week of the year really for us. At the end of the day, sport is entertainment and if we can be entertaining the profile will rise.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Holgar Rune played doubles together as children, and on Wednesday they will meet in the youngest Wimbledon quarter-final of the open era.
World number one Alcaraz and sixth seed Rune teamed up at a tournament in France called Petits As when they were 14.
Six years on and the duo, now 20, will do battle on Centre Court for a place in the semi-finals.
“It’s great. It’s a good feeling. It shows that the young players are doing a great job. For me it’s cool. For him it’s also cool, I guess,” said Danish hot-shot Rune.
“To be able to play a quarter-final against a player that is the same age, at the top of the ranking, feels amazing. I’m really looking forward to that match. I even looked at it when I was in the first round.
“I couldn’t really afford to look at it because there were so many matches before this would eventually happen. Now we’re here so I’m really pumped and excited for it.”
Rune came through in four sets against Grigor Dimitrov while Spanish sensation Alcaraz passed his sternest test yet, beating former finalist Matteo Berrettini in four.
“Carlos had a big forehand also in juniors,” added Rune. “I think he’s the same, just so much better now. I think back then he was Carlos, and now he’s Carlos. He’s the same, just improved very, very a lot and very quickly.
“We played doubles one time in Petits As. Hopefully we can do it again, but now we’re going to battle against each other.
“It was good, because he’s amazing. Also, the more shots he could hit the better. We played good together. I think we made the semi-final.
“For sure I would like to play doubles with him again. I know he doesn’t play a lot of doubles, me too. But maybe one day we can have a chance to play.”
Martina Hingis is the latest leading figure in tennis to question Emma Raducanu’s career management and she believes the former US Open champion will find it tough on her return to the sport.
Raducanu has had to sit out this year’s Wimbledon after undergoing operations on both wrists and one ankle and is not expected to be back until the autumn.
It has been a rollercoaster ride for the 20-year-old since her incredible victory in New York nearly two years ago, with intense scrutiny on her on and off-court decisions.
View this post on InstagramThe one that has caused most head-scratching was Raducanu’s decision to part ways with coach Andrew Richardson straight after the US Open, and she has not managed to find a consistent voice since.
Former world number one Hingis won five grand slam singles titles as a teenager, and she said: “If you have the right surroundings, I think that’s also really important.
“I never met her so I don’t know exactly what goes through the head. It’s incredible she was able to win the US Open and, all of the changes after that, I don’t think it was a great choice to do.
“When you win with someone, you usually continue, but I can’t judge what happened. It would be nice for her to find the way and to find her success again.
“She’s got the shots, she’s the whole package, but you still need the results. It’s not like one day you win the US Open and then that’s the rest of the life.”
Raducanu will be ranked well outside the top 100 when she returns and, while she will not be short of wild card offers to get into the big tournaments, Hingis feels she faces an uphill battle.
“There’s so many girls out there that can play well who are hungry,” said the Swiss. “I hope the best for her but it won’t be easy.”
Hingis, champion at Wimbledon in 1997 as a 16-year-old, is back at the All England Club to play in the invitational doubles.
She enjoyed watching the run of Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who reached the fourth round as a qualifier before falling to Madison Keys.
“It’s great to see a 16-year-old doing so well,” said Hingis. “I like her game. It’s nice to watch and also for the people to see someone like this, it’s still possible being young and doing well.
“She’s very disciplined, she’s got all the shots. Sometimes she’s quite far behind (the baseline), I would like to see her being a bit more aggressive, but she doesn’t miss. She’s like a wall.
“It’s hard to get through her but it’s something she can maybe improve in the future to take more charge and attack when she has the chance to do it.”
Andreeva had an unfortunate end to her tournament, receiving a point penalty for throwing her racket that gave Keys match point.
“I did that too,” said Hingis. “You want to win, you want to play well. It can happen.
“When you’re young you have your emotions. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes bad. As long as nothing dangerous happens. Of course you’re supposed to control your emotions but she’s 16, she’s a kid still.”
Elina Svitolina claimed the mother of all victories by knocking out world number one Iga Swiatek to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
The unseeded Ukrainian, who only gave birth to her daughter Skai nine months ago, ousted top seed Swiatek with a dramatic 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory on Centre Court.
Swiatek, just as she had in her previous match against Belinda Bencic, came from a set down to draw level and seemed to have snatched the momentum.
But with Jeremy Clarkson watching from the crowd, Svitolina found top gear just when she needed it to secure a famous victory.
“I don’t know what is happening right now, it’s really unbelievable,” Svitolina, also a semi-finalist here in 2019, said.
“I’m really, really happy that I got this chance to play here again. I was fighting, it was not easy. Iga is world number one and always fighting. It was an unbelievable match and I’m really happy I could win this one.”
Swiatek looked dialled in from the start this time, breaking the Svitolina serve in the opening game.
But as she served for the set, the 22-year-old from Warsaw gifted Svitolina a break back to love with an uncharacteristically sloppy game, topped off with a double-fault.
Swiatek was rattled and Svitolina began finding her range, punishing a second serve to bring up two set points and edging in front when Swiatek’s backhand floated long.
A slight delay as the roof was closed gave Swiatek a chance to regroup but a hold to love at the start of the second set meant Svitolina had won 10 of the previous 12 points.
However, nerves started to kick in when, at 40-0, Svitolina missed the simplest of volleys at the net and then double-faulted, allowing Swiatek to break.
Swiatek then got a dose of the jitters herself, a double-fault giving Svitolina two break points and a long forehand levelling the set at 3-3.
Svitolina dug out a second ace of the match to go 4-1 ahead in the tie-break but Swiatek reeled her back in with a couple of rasping forehands which clipped the line and an exquisite backhand winner.
But Svitolina came again, breaking the reigning French and US Open champion twice to lead 4-1 in the decider.
Two more aces made it 5-1 and despite some late resistance from the Pole Svitolina came through, covering her mouth with her hand in utter shock when Swiatek hit the net on match point.
Swiatek has been a huge supporter of the Ukrainian cause following the Russian invasion and wears a blue and yellow ribbon in her cap.
Svitolina, whose emotional win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the fourth round was one of the matches of the tournament, added: “Iga is not only a great champion but an unbelievable person.
“She was one of the first who really helped the Ukrainian people, she was a huge help. So for sure it’s not easy to play someone that you share a lot of good moments. Not easy for her either but I’m really proud I could win this one.”
World number four Jessica Pegula crashed out of Wimbledon after an untimely suspension of play helped shift the momentum in her surprise quarter-final defeat to Marketa Vondrousova.
The American looked poised to progress to the maiden grand slam singles semi-final of her career having overturned a one-set deficit to lead 3-1 in the decider.
But, due to forecasted rain, the contest was halted for around 23 minutes to allow the roof on Court One to be closed and 2019 French Open finalist Vondrousova returned to win five of the next six games to progress 6-4 2-6 6-4.
The Czech world number 42, who is enjoying her best run at the All England Club, will take on either world number one Iga Swiatek or Elina Svitolina for a place in the final.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “It’s an amazing feeling, I cannot believe it.”
Asked how much closing the roof helped her, she replied: “A lot actually. I never played on court number one under the roof. It’s amazing.
“I just wanted to stay as long as I could and I fought until the end. She was pushing me to the edge so I am just so proud of my game.”
Ons Jabeur has vowed to stick to her plan as she targets Wimbledon revenge over Elena Rybakina.
The pair meet in the quarter-final on Wednesday in a rematch of last year’s final where Jabeur’s heart was broken by a three-set defeat.
The Tunisian has come back 12 months later and looked every inch a possible champion as she has coasted into the last eight.
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She knows this is a step up in quality and accepts she will have to do things she does not enjoy against Rybakina.
The sixth seed said: “My priority is really to stick 100 per cent to the plan that my coach will give me, and try to even do things that I might not like on the court, play more freely, just think about each point and not the results.
“I think you have a plan tactically, mentally also. Sometimes playing someone like Elena, who serves really well, it can be frustrating.
“Me, I would get angry, but I’ll try to accept the fact that she serves so good and try to return good and see what I can do there.”
Jabeur admits that it took her a couple of weeks to get over last year’s final but takes a holistic view of the defeat.
“I think the first one or two weeks I thought about it a lot,” she said.
“It was very painful. The good thing about it is I know I gave it everything.
“I’m someone that believes that it wasn’t meant to be, so I cannot force it more than it should be.
“I’m glad that I have this belief. I believe in destiny. It wasn’t supposed to be that year.
“Maybe greater things are coming after that final. I definitely will learn a lot from it.
“Obviously the next match is completely different. It’s a quarter-final. It’s a completely different position. I’m going to do my best.
“The most important thing is that I give 100 per cent and I try not to regret anything.”
Rybakina has barely broken sweat on her way to the last eight, though did admit she felt nervous at the start of the competition.
She is now through that and wants to continue in calmer waters.
“Now I’m feeling much better and more confident coming and playing on Centre Court,” she said. “It is different from the first round.
“I think it was just overall the atmosphere and the nerves to play the first match to get used to the grass, just to play some matches here.
“I think now mentally I’m much better. Physically also good now. Yeah, hopefully I just continue like this.”
Johanna Konta admits to finding motherhood boring compared to her previous life but said she is “very committed to retirement”.
Caroline Wozniacki is the latest player to announce a return to the sport after retiring and starting a family but Konta insists that is not a path she will be taking.
The 32-year-old announced in December 2021 that she was calling time on her career and she gave birth to daughter Emmeline last September.
She has picked up a racket again to play in the invitational doubles at Wimbledon, where Wozniacki is also in the field, and was very open about the challenges of swapping a professional sporting career for changing nappies.
“A part of me will always miss it just because the kind of adrenaline and the life you live as a successful professional tennis player, you can’t replicate in any part of your life,” said Konta.
“Compared to that, motherhood is frankly quite boring. It’s very monotonous and it’s fundamentally not really enjoyable, for me anyway.
“I love my daughter. When I put her down for naps I get excited for when she’s going to wake up. I’m to the moon in love with my daughter but I think the act of motherhood is actually really tough.
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“It’s monotonous, boring and, compared to what I used to do, which is play on Centre Court and travel the world and live a really selfish existence, to then be thrown into a very selfless existence, it’s a really hard transition, and it’s not fun.
“But I would choose it every single day over playing on Centre Court. I really love what my life was but I am learning to love my life more now.”
Konta has not even been playing tennis socially and described her first day back on court at Wimbledon as “rusty and painful”.
“The first day I was so sore everywhere but the last few days it’s been fine,” she added. “Don’t ask me to move a lot, though. That’s not what it used to be. I’m very committed to retirement.”
While Konta’s retirement was initially overshadowed by Emma Raducanu winning the US Open, the latter’s struggles have thrown into focus what a stellar career her predecessor as British number one put together.
Konta reached three grand slam semi-finals and three more quarter-finals while reaching a high of fourth in the world rankings in 2017.
By contrast, Britain did not have a direct entrant in the women’s singles here or at the French Open and current leading woman Katie Boulter is ranked 89.
“You want British interest,” said Konta, who is carving out a new career in broadcasting.
“You guys want British interest in the second week of grand slams, the players who are playing want to be in the second week. Everyone has the same desire, and also it’s good for the kids back home to see British representation on the female side.
“Everyone’s working towards the same goal, everyone’s giving their best and hopefully it will be happening.”
Raducanu is now down at 132 in the rankings and is unlikely to return until the autumn following surgeries on her wrists and ankle, but she still appears the best British hope of a leading player in the near future.
Konta highlighted fitness as the key to whether Raducanu can return to the top 10, saying: “I think just consistent physical health, for her to get physically robust is probably the number one priority because that has been her biggest hurdle.
“For her to be able to play enough tournaments, enough matches, will give her then the chance to win.”
Chris Eubanks has the potential to be a worldwide star after his breakthrough at Wimbledon, according to former American number one James Blake.
The 27–year-old had never made it past the second round at a grand slam until his amazing run in SW19, where he has knocked out last year’s semi-finalist Cameron Norrie and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to a quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev.
Although the American – who won his first ATP Tour title in Majorca before Wimbledon – has been on tour for some time, his profile has exploded in the United States.
And Blake, who reached a career-high of fourth in the world rankings, has backed him to compete at the very top of the men’s game.
“He has become a superstar back home, which is great to see because he just deserves it, he is the most genuine guy,” said Blake.
“He’s taken advantage of his huge moment, he played so well last week in Majorca and now just playing with that confidence he is going to go far and I do think he has a chance against Medvedev.
“He is playing free and loose and you can see what can happen when you have got a big game and play with a lot of confidence.
“He has got to be a contender now to become a worldwide star, he has got the personality for it.”
Eubanks’ run at Wimbledon means he will now get star billing at the US Open next month and Blake has backed him to embrace it.
“It is going to be new for him but he is going to be one of the stars there, he might be on the side of a bus, he might be up on billboards,” said Blake, who mentored Eubanks earlier on in his career.
“And for him a year ago to be playing Challengers in Korea and toiling away, to be a star in New York is going to be hopefully a life-changing experience for him in a positive way.
“I hope he enjoys being a superstar because that is what he is in the making.”
Kim Clijsters has also played a role in Eubanks’ development after giving him some advice.
“It’s all his credit, I didn’t do anything, just send a few text messages,” she said.
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“We’ve gotten to know each other well since we played World Team Tennis together.
“He’s a great guy, a very open mind. We had really long conversations talking about my experiences in tennis when I was a teenager to still being around now.
“He wants to learn. It’s just great to see he’s doing so well. He’s enjoying it.
Caroline Wozniacki is confident she will be able to compete with the top players again when she comes out of retirement next month.
The former world number one, who has two children, announced last month she would be ending her three-year exile this summer and will return for the American hard court swing that begins after Wimbledon.
The 33-year-old, who won the 2018 Australian Open and reached two US Open finals, was at the top of the women’s game for the best part of a decade before she called time on her career in 2020.
Since then Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have broken away to form a ‘big three’ but Wozniacki says that if she can compete with Serena Williams then she should be able to hack it against the current crop of players.
Speaking ahead of her appearance in the women’s invitation doubles at Wimbledon, she said: “I have played them before, I know exactly what I am up against. I know they are playing extremely well and aggressive and consistent and it is going to be a tough challenge but I am up for the challenge.
“I have fought tough players before and fought my way around so I am going to do the same this time.
“Obviously there are a lot of good players out there and it is a high level of tennis but I played with the greatest of all time in Serena. She’s the best player I ever played and she isn’t around anymore so that feels good to me at the moment! I am happy not to have to play her anymore.
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“I am not putting a time on how long I will play, just see how the body holds up, see how I feel, how the kids and everyone does.
“I am excited to be back and excited to be playing and hopefully it will be my best tennis yet.”
Wozniacki, who resumes her professional career in Montreal later this month, is one of several mothers who are playing on tour.
And the Dane believes she may now have less pressure when she is competing.
“I think for me, I will go out there and enjoy myself and play the way I have been practising and that is all you can do, give it the best when you are out there,” she said.
“My family and my kids is the most important thing in my life to me so I know that if I win or lose they won’t look at me any differently.
“It is going to be a great experience for us as a family to have the kids see a little bit of the world and meet new people and see new cultures. It is such a good learning experience for them so young before they go to real school.”
Kim Clijsters is a flagbearer in the modern era for returning to the tour after having children, winning the US Open in one of her first tournaments back by beating Wozniacki in the final.
And she says the Dane will need to get to grips with new challenges as she resumes her career.
“When you get into a situation like that when you’re a mother but you also become a professional athlete again, you have an expectation of how you did it before and the time that goes into it,” Clijsters said.
“That was for me a little bit hard at the beginning to balance, am I going to put six, seven hours a day focusing on myself again and how do I feel about that?
“You have to leave your daughter or your kids behind so I struggled a little bit with that in the beginning but then you learn that there’s other people that are really good at taking care of your kids too.
“I think that was a little bit of a challenge mentally to get that motherly instinct – you don’t push it aside but you have to balance that so you have enough of both. I think that will be probably the biggest challenge at the beginning.”
Caroline Wozniacki is confident she will be able to compete with the top players again when she comes out of retirement next month.
The former world number one, who has two children, announced last month she would be ending her three-year exile this summer and will return for the American hard court swing that begins after Wimbledon.
The 33-year-old, who won the 2018 Australian Open and reached two US Open finals, was at the top of the women’s game for the best part of a decade before she called time on her career in 2020.
Since then Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have broken away to form a ‘big three’ but Wozniacki says that if she can compete with Serena Williams then she should be able to hack it against the current crop of players.
Speaking ahead of her appearance in the women’s invitation doubles at Wimbledon, she said: “I have played them before, I know exactly what I am up against. I know they are playing extremely well and aggressive and consistent and it is going to be a tough challenge but I am up for the challenge.
“I have fought tough players before and fought my way around so I am going to do the same this time.
“Obviously there are a lot of good players out there and it is a high level of tennis but I played with the greatest of all time in Serena. She’s the best player I ever played and she isn’t around anymore so that feels good to me at the moment! I am happy not to have to play her anymore.
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“I am not putting a time on how long I will play, just see how the body holds up, see how I feel, how the kids and everyone does.
“I am excited to be back and excited to be playing and hopefully it will be my best tennis yet.”
Wozniacki, who resumes her professional career in Montreal later this month, is one of several mothers who are playing on tour.
And the Dane believes she may now have less pressure when she is competing.
“I think for me, I will go out there and enjoy myself and play the way I have been practising and that is all you can do, give it the best when you are out there,” she said.
“My family and my kids is the most important thing in my life to me so I know that if I win or lose they won’t look at me any differently.
“It is going to be a great experience for us as a family to have the kids see a little bit of the world and meet new people and see new cultures. It is such a good learning experience for them so young before they go to real school.”
Kim Clijsters is a flagbearer in the modern era for returning to the tour after having children, winning the US Open in one of her first tournaments back by beating Wozniacki in the final.
And she says the Dane will need to get to grips with new challenges as she resumes her career.
“When you get into a situation like that when you’re a mother but you also become a professional athlete again, you have an expectation of how you did it before and the time that goes into it,” Clijsters said.
“That was for me a little bit hard at the beginning to balance, am I going to put six, seven hours a day focusing on myself again and how do I feel about that?
“You have to leave your daughter or your kids behind so I struggled a little bit with that in the beginning but then you learn that there’s other people that are really good at taking care of your kids too.
“I think that was a little bit of a challenge mentally to get that motherly instinct – you don’t push it aside but you have to balance that so you have enough of both. I think that will be probably the biggest challenge at the beginning.”
Wimbledon heads towards the business end as the quarter-finals get under way on Tuesday.
World number one Iga Swiatek opens Centre Court with her highly-anticipated clash with Elina Svitolina while Novak Djokovic looks to extend his SW19 invincibility against Andrey Rublev.
Here, the PA news agency unpacks day nine.
Match of the DayView this post on InstagramThe Ukrainian capped a brilliant first week with that dramatic victory over Victoria Azarenka to make it back-to-back quarter-finals at grand slams following the birth of her first child.
How much energy is left in the tank remains to be seen and her resolve will be tested against Swiatek, who is in the last-eight for the first time in SW19.
She saved match points against Belinda Bencic to get there and she will be eyeing more domination following her recent win at the French Open.
Pegula under the radarJessica Pegula has been something of a footnote in this year’s tournament so far, having sailed through to the last-eight without much trouble.
But the number four seed might have a few people worried as she has dropped just one set on her way to another grand slam quarter-final – her fifth in the last seven.
The 29-year-old has shown remarkable consistency over the last 18 months and Marketa Vondrousova stands in her way of a first grand slam semi-final.
The kids are alrightAfter four wins for British players in the girls’ tournament on Monday it is the boys’ turn on Tuesday, with five hopefuls due to play.
Viktor Frydrych, Henry Searle, Freddy Blaydes, Henry Jefferson and Charlie Robertson are all in second-round action as we get a glimpse into the next generation of home players.
There are also plenty of girls and boys in doubles action as they enjoy their moment on home soil.
Order of play
Centre Court
Iga Swiatek v Elina Svitolina
Andrey Rublev v Novak Djokovic
Court One
Jessica Pegula v Marketa Vondrousova
Jannik Sinner v Roman Safiullin
Clijsters/Hingis v Schiavone/Vinci
Staying warm with a risk of scattered showers
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remain on collision course for a final showdown following a gripping day at Wimbledon.
Defending champion Djokovic returned to complete his delayed quarter-final with Hubert Hurkacz before world number one Alcaraz registered a thrilling success over 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini.
Elsewhere, there was an early exit for world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the hands of Chris Eubanks, while last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur powered past two-time winner Petra Kvitova in the women’s draw.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day eight unfolded.
No escape from AlcarazCarlos Alcaraz passed another test to reach the last eight in SW19 for the first time.
Having been pushed to four sets by Nicolas Jarry in the third round, the Spaniard stylishly fought back from a set down to see off Matteo Berrettini 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3.
It was a meeting of the last two Queen’s Club champions and undoubtedly a significant hurdle for Alcaraz, who is learning quickly on the surface and produced a very solid display.
He will next take on fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune in the first Wimbledon men’s singles quarter-final between players aged under 21 in the open era, with a potential mouthwatering finale against Djokovic very much on the cards.
Tweet of the dayTime waits for NovakDespite progressing, Djokovic called for Wimbledon to overhaul its scheduling and start play earlier on Centre Court following his drawn out victory over Hubert Hurkacz
The seven-time champion fell foul of the All England Club’s insistence on beginning matches at 1.30pm when his fourth-round match had to be suspended on Sunday night due to the council-imposed 11pm curfew.
The 36-year-old, who returned to finish off Hurkacz 7-6 (6) 7-6 (6) 5-7 6-4 on Monday afternoon, was unequivocal in his response when asked if matches should start earlier.
“I think so. I agree with that,” said the 23-time grand slam winner. “Obviously curfew is probably something that is much more difficult to change, I understand, because of the community and the residential area we are in.
“I think the matches could be pushed at least to start at 12pm. I think it would make a difference.”
Shot of the dayQuote of the dayPicture of the dayStat of the dayCarlos Alcaraz passed another test to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time.
Having been pushed to four sets by Nicolas Jarry in the third round, the world number one had to fight back from a set down to see off former finalist Matteo Berrettini 3-6 6-3 6-3 6-3.
This was a meeting of the last two Queen’s Club champions and undoubtedly a significant hurdle for Alcaraz, who is learning quickly on the surface and produced a very solid display.
“I knew it was going to be really tough, Matteo is a great player, he made the final here on grass,” said Alcaraz.
“He’s playing great. It’s not easy after losing the first set. I knew I was going to have my chances. Something I’ve been working on is to stay focused and not lose my mind a little bit. That part I did great.
“It’s something that I really wanted. Last year I lost in the fourth round. I came here this year with that goal, first get into the quarter-finals and now I’m looking for more.
“My dream is to play a final here, to win the title one day. I hope I reach that dream this year but right now it’s great to be in the quarter-finals.”
Now he will take on fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune in the first Wimbledon men’s singles quarter-final between players aged under 21 in the open era.
Standing in the way of the young guns claiming the title, of course, is 36-year-old Novak Djokovic, who is now the only player left in the men’s draw to have previously reached a Wimbledon final.
Alcaraz remains the man most likely to deny him a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title and 24th grand slam crown and there were plenty of the Spaniard’s crowd-pleasing tricks on show, including a winner threaded between umpire’s chair and net post that he celebrated from virtually in the stand.
He was second best in the opening set, though, as Berrettini dictated with his forehand, breaking the Alcaraz serve to lead 5-3.
The Italian, who missed Wimbledon last year with an ill-timed bout of coronavirus, has struggled this season with a recurring abdominal injury, saying after beating Alexander Zverev on Saturday that he had spent days crying in bed and arrived in London doubting he would be able to play.
He was aiming to emulate countryman Jannik Sinner, who defeated Alcaraz at the same stage 12 months ago and is through to the last eight again.
There was a concerning moment during the first point of the second set when Berrettini slipped and fell heavily, with Alcaraz coming to check on him, but the 27-year-old soon picked himself up.
Berrettini had not dropped serve once during his first three matches but the tide began to turn when a sloppy game at 1-2 saw him broken to love.
Alcaraz pushed for another break early in the third set and got it with an athletic, arching smash on his sixth chance as Berrettini was just unable to shake off the tenacious Spaniard.
Berrettini certainly had his moments but Alcaraz has so many weapons to choose from and he was wearing down the popular Italian.
At 2-2 in the fourth set, proceedings were briefly halted for the roof to be closed with darkness falling.
And Alcaraz wasted little time booking his spot in the last eight on the resumption, becoming the youngest man to do so here since Nick Kyrgios in 2014.
Andy Murray will be back at Wimbledon next year and still has plenty of “good tennis in him”, according to brother Jamie.
Murray, a two-time winner in SW19, was beaten in five sets in the second round at this year’s Championships by fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
At 36 years old, his chances of going deep into grand slams again are dwindling, but doubles star Jamie Murray still believes his sibling can operate at the top level.
“Will he be back? I hope so,” he said. “Look, I think he still has a lot of good tennis in him. I think he needs to find his mojo and get out there and play some ball.
“I still think he has the level to do a lot of good stuff on the tennis court. I think he had an amazing opportunity this tournament to really go far in a grand slam with players dropping out all over the place.
“I mean the draw really opened up for him. It felt like that. But Tsitsipas played a really good match. I am sure he is disappointed.
“I still think he can do a lot of good stuff. I always expect him to perform well and win matches because I know the level he can produce.
“He needs to find a way to do that. I don’t know what his ranking is now, it is inside 40, but for him to be getting excited he needs to be feeling like he is getting into the top 20 and feel like he is competing at these big events.”
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