Defending champ Jannik Sinner soars into Wimbledon semis

Defending champion Jannik Sinner advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon for the third time with a 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over unseeded Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany on Tuesday.

The World No. 1 and the tournament's top seed, Sinner extended his winning streak to 12 matches at the All England Club after hammering 16 aces against the 74th-ranked Struff. The Italian will face either seven-time Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic of Serbia or No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in the semifinals.

Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets in last year's semifinals at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Although the match was finished in three sets, Sinner admitted to having a tough time against Struff, who rebounded from losing the first set to take a 5-4 edge in the second. Sinner responded by winning that game and ultimately the tiebreak.

"The second set could have ended in a different way," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "Tiebreaks are always 50/50. If you are one set all or two sets up, it's a big (difference). So in the third set, I was a little bit more relaxed, for sure.

"His percentage of first serves dropped a little bit, which helped me feel slightly more comfortable. I'm very happy to finish in three sets, but he's a very tough player to play against. So I'm pleased."

--Field Level Media