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4 hours ago
7
Key events
Yes, it was roundabout 1988 I or anyone else used the word eggy to describe anger; what of it? Meanwhile, Gauff is in more trouble, down 15-40, and if she loses her serve here, she’s in big trouble. She was fortunate to beat Solana Sierra in round two and in that match, as well as against Liu and Bencic, she more or less personalitied her way to victory – it was good character rather than good play that got her through. But she makes it to deuce, retrieves a lob then hits a winner for advantage, then closes out a vital hold. Pegula will have noticed, though she leads 6-4 0-1.
A framed forehand and a double give Struff an unlikely 0-30, then at 30-all, Sinner fails to put away a ball he really should, erring as the rally progresses. Then, on break-back point, he overhits a forehand, and somehow, Struff is back in set two at 2-2. Sinner is, by his standards, very eggy with himself.
At 15-all, Pegula offers a tepid second serve so Gauff attacks it, but schlepping the ball from over her shoulder, she can only send it long, then a backhand down the line means she’s down to break points. And only one is required, a very poor forehand landing in to the net, halfway up, and Pegula leads 6-4.
Struff’s first-serve percentage is plummeting – I fear Sinner has his measure now. Two errors give him 15-30, then a backhand return is too good, earning two break points, and a forehand return then secures the break. Sinner leads 7-5 2-1 and already, this feels over; Gauff holds for 4-5, forcing Pegula to serve for the first set.
All that effort and Gauff returns her break-back in tame fashion – she plays those kinds of games far too often, and they’re one reason I was a little surprised she won majors when she did. Of course I expected her to eventually, but I didn’t think she was ready, nor ready to win in Paris; Pegula consolidates and leads 5-3 in the first.
Down 15-30, Struff finds a service-winer, but then nets a volley, letting it drop too far below the level of the net. A service-winner follows then, playing the second break point, a ball falls out of Struff’s pocket, so they go again – if it happens a second time, eh loses the point – but this time, he’s good to go, another service-winner makes deuce, and from there, the German closes out. Sinner leads 7-5 0-1.
Gauff hits the tape and the ball clambers over then drops; 0-15. And when Pegula goes wide on the backhand, she’s a chance to make something happen, lashing a return on to the line that requires too much footwork, too quickly, to get back. And when Pegula again goes wide, we have that predictable break-back, to love, and we’re back on serve at 3-3 in the first.
Up 30-0, Sinner swats wide; a mahoosive ace out wide follows, then Struff sweeps a backhand wide, and that concludes a 7-5 first set, tight until it wasn’t. There was one drop, the champ was there to take advantage, and that is a lesson in elite sport; can Struff learn from it?
Pegula, meanwhile, is playing nicely, up 3-2 with a break, but there were signs in Gauff’s last hold that she’s settling.
OK, Sinner holds for 5-5, then nails a forehand and a return; Struff can’t get close to the first, then nets the second, and at 0-30, he’s in trouble – all the more so when his first serve is long. Sure enough, Sinner’s return is on point, the riposte hitting the net, meaning hr’s three break points. The first is confiscated via ace … and the second …but then given a look at another second serve, an inside-out forehand winner secures the break, the champ upping it when he needed to, and he’ll now serve for set one at 6-5.
Oh man, serving at 4-4 15-all, Struff doinks a simple smash into the net, which both reflects and brings pressure. But from there, he secures his hold for 5-5, while Pegula consolidates to lead Gauff 2-0.
We’re away on Centre, Gauff netting a forehand for deuce, and Pegula will surely target that wing – if she has to, a netted backhand giving her advantage. And I’m afraid no one will be surprised to learn that a double follows;[Pegula leads 1-0, with a break.
Down 40-0, Struff makes room for a winner sent from corner to corner, then Sinner frames a forehand and misses a first serve; pressure. And when he goes long, again off the forehand, we move to deuce, the German floating a poor rally-ball backhand slice over the baseline, then a netted forehand hands over the hold for 4-4 – but Sinner is not yet settled.
Another love hold for Struff and suddenly, Sinner will be noticing a bit of scoreboard pressure, down 3-4 in the first. He’s not yet made any kind of impression on return, nor hit many winners, both of which are surprising.
On Centre, Gauff and Pegula are out; Pegula wins the toss and has to think for a short while before deciding to receive.
Struff makes 0-15 and is well in the next point, until he swipes a forehand wide, then he again loses patience in a 19-stroke rally, wellying wide once more. A service-winner follows for 40-15 then, offered a second serve, Struff attacks, coming in to dispatch a fine volley, doubles hands to the fore. The more situations of that ilk he can generate, the better for him, and when Sinner spins a forehand long, to deuce we go … but not for long. The champ quickly serves out, and we’re level at 3-3 in the fifth.
Now a love hold for Struff, who’s started pretty well and leads 3-2 He looks confident, but he’s not yet been put under pressure and I wonder if he can offer more testing returns. Even if he needs to stand back to give himself a better look at Sinner’s serve, he has to try and dig into it rather than hope e can struggle to a tiebreaker.
Nana Sinner appears to have been busy knitting Jannik’s top; that, or Nike have rinsed him with gear yet again.
Here he is as Luigi.
Taking advantage of the US Open dress code to rock a fetching shade of rust.
The famously complementary colours of olive, white and yellow.
Anyroad up, Struff makes deuce from 40-0 – for all the good it does him. Sinner secures the hold in short order and we’re level at 2-2 in the first.
At 30-0, Struff nails one down the T, then Sinner swipes an inside-out backhand wide and that’s another comfy hold for the German; he leads 2-1, and they’re still feeling each other out.
Er yeah, about that. Sinner holds to love for 1-1; Struff is playing the long game.
A 6”6, 36-year-old man with socks pulled up and a baseball hat on backwards; has anyone got a number for The Hague? Meantime, Struff holds to 30 and will feel much better about life; I reckon he’ll go at Sinner’s serve, especially on second delivery.
Our players are almost ready. Sinner elected to receive, perhaps hoping that Struff, at 36 the oldest man in the open era to reach a first major quarter-final, is nervous. Play.
To our first match, and how does Struff get at Sinner? Well, the unpalatable truth is I’m not sure he does – if Sinner plays properly, this isn’t a contest, whatever Struff does. But Sinner’s hitting from the back, especially down the line – usually so consistent – has been a bit off lately, so perhaps, if Struff can’t finish points early with his concussive forehand length, it might be worth seeing if he can incite the error by hitting balls deep and down the middle of the court.
More likely, though, I expect Struff to take the Stanimal approach and attack everything, hoping to hit a a seam. I also wonder if he’ll try and drop-shots, looking to get Sinner tired but also to use his doubles-generated volleying advantage.
On BBC, they note that Gauff hasn’t made a Wimbledon quarter until this year, though she made round three as a 16-year-old. Mainly, that’s because grass doesn’t suit her game as well as other surfaces – her serve isn’t where it needs to be, and it’s harder to hide her forehand than it is on clay, where theres more time to adjust feet.
Pegula, on the other hand, is a better-rounded player, but without the big weapons you need to win majors. Her returning, though. is good enough to give Gauff fits and the two, who used to play doubles together, are good mates, which adds a further dimension to this match. Bottom line: I don’t think either are ready to win this title.
Also going on:
Preamble
Wotcha and welcome to Wimbledon 2026 – day nine!
Now we’re getting serious. Two show courts, 10 players in form, and each of them tingling, contemplating the feeling of a lifetime.
We begin on No 1 Court with Jannik Sinner, one of only two players in either draw to have won this title before. But, after an astounding run earlier in the year, his body failed him at Roland Garros and he hasn’t looked his usual impregnable self since.
Naturally, elite sport being the ruthless brute that it is, the other players have twigged; where once they knew they were done for, now they fancy it, and though Jan-Leonard Struff isn’t the likeliest candidate to dethrone the champ, to get to this point he’s beaten Sebástian Báez, Brandon Nakashima, Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Or, in other words, he’s in form and feeling himself.
Opening up on Centre half an hour later, we’ve got Jess Pegula – desperately chasing the maiden grand slam title but constantly crashing into her athletic ceiling – against Coco Gauff, taken to a deciding set in three of her four matches so far, but one of sport’s great explorers; few are better at finding a way to win. If Pegula plays well, pulling it off isn’t beyond her and, at 32, she’s running out of time so, given the way the seeds have fallen, knows she’ll never get a better shot. She’ll tell herself to the contrary because how else can she go on, but in her heart she knows: her career is on the line here.
The match of the day, though, comes second on No 1, where Naomi Osaka, fresh from dispatching Aryna Sabalenka, now faces a very different challenge. Karolina Muchova – another chasing the debut major she’s seen players of far less talent seize – blends touch, craft and power in a way that’s ideal for grass courts. Can Osaka thrive against an opponent able to put her in uncomfortable positions and likely to haul her to the net? She’s going to have to.
Second on Centre, an interlude: Alexander Zverev leads Jiri Lehecka by two sets to love, and the pair will return locked at 3-3 in the third to finish a match called off last evening. Most likely, the no 2 seed finishes the job in short order, but both players know that if his level drops, he’s vulnerable.
Then, finally for today, we’ve Novak Djokovic – another pondering an opportunity he feared might never come, but in pursuit of the tricky 25th grand slam title that, so far, has eluded us all. Generally speaking, Felix Auger-Aliassime is exactly the kind of opponent he’d dismiss in that quest, a fine athelete unable to play well enough for long enough to beat the best in the biggest tournaments. But at 25, he might just be maturing into the player he promised to be and, if he can make it physical, he can make it happen.
Play: 1pm BST on No 1 Court, 1.30pm BST on Centre Court
