LONDON (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic reached an eighth straight Wimbledon semi-final after grinding down Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10) 3-6 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(10-4) in an epic battle on Tuesday to set up a showdown with reigning champion Jannik Sinner.
Having surpassed Roger Federer for most match victories at the All England Club with his 106th win in the last round, the 39-year-old eclipsed the Swiss again by becoming the first man to reach the last four eight straight times.
Djokovic got there by coming through the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history, at five hours and 15 minutes, with a gutsy display against a determined opponent who proved hard to break down for much of the contest.
"I won with a racket and a lot of heart," Djokovic said.
"I guess it's the management of the nerves and the extreme tension you feel in these kinds of matches. Towards the end, it was anybody's game. The scoreline was even all the way through. It was anybody's game in the super tiebreak in the fifth.
"What can I say? I mean, these are kinds of moments that I still play tennis for. I wish it was the final, you know, so I don't need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow. But yeah... I'm happy that I won."
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in action during his quarter final match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic.
ANOTHER BLOCKBUSTER CLASH WITH SINNER
Djokovic's hunt for an eighth crown to match retired rival Federer and a 25th major trophy to move past Australian Margaret Court will continue when he meets Sinner in what promises to be another blockbuster chapter in their rivalry.
"It's just another semi-final for me. I'm going to look at the numbers and everything when I finish my career," he said.
"Right now, it's all business. I still have to recover. I'm still in the tournament, and I have the best player in the world in a few days."
Djokovic, the seventh seed, chuckled after several missed chances in a long opening-set tiebreak, and had the last laugh when Auger-Aliassime blasted a volley long to surrender a set that he should have comfortably won.
A double fault from Djokovic gifted Auger-Aliassime a break to go up 5-3 in the next set and the Canadian held his nerve and serve in the next game to draw level in the contest, before the Centre Court roof was closed at around 7.40 p.m. local time.
DJOKOVIC COMPOSED AFTER COMPLAINTS
The move prompted complaints from Djokovic, but he composed himself as the third set got underway and produced cleaner ball-striking to finally break Auger-Aliassime in the sixth game and then tighten his grip on the match.
Auger-Aliassime lost his opening service game in the fourth set and let his frustrations boil over when he whacked his chair with his racket, but put up a brave display and got back on level terms via the tiebreak to force a decider.
There was no separating the pair for 12 games of the final set until Djokovic drew on his experience in the match tiebreak to finally overcome Auger-Aliassime and soak up the deafening applause from a thoroughly-entertained crowd.
"You know, I was telling my kids to go to sleep after the fourth set but they didn't want to listen," Djokovic added.
"I'm glad they stayed up, because it was, honestly, one of the best matches I was part of on this court, in my career."
GAUFF, ZVEREV BREAK NEW GROUND
While Djokovic reached a record-extending 15th Wimbledon semi-final, American Coco Gauff and Germany's Alexander Zverev broke new ground but Naomi Osaka's title hopes evaporated on a blazing day at the All England Club.
Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka.
Hot weather warnings might have furrowed the brow of men's defending champion Jannik Sinner but he tamed German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.
Seventh seed Gauff's relationship with grass has been lukewarm since she made her Wimbledon debut as a 15-year-old in 2019 and had never gone past the fourth round.
The bond is clearly getting stronger though as she proved with a composed 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory over American number one and fourth seed Jessica Pegula on Centre Court.
OSAKA'S BID FOR FIFTH MAJOR HALTED
Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in action during her quarter final match against Japan's Naomi Osaka.
Second seed Zverev, whose Wimbledon ceiling had also previously been the last 16, returned to finish off dangerous Czech Jiri Lehecka to reach his first quarter-final here.
The 29-year-old was three games from victory on Monday evening before being snagged by Wimbledon's curfew and despite allowing Lehecka back into the match on the resumption, he completed a 6-4 7-5 3-6 7-6(6) win.
The French Open champion will be back on court on Wednesday to face sixth-seeded American Taylor Fritz in a battle of 140 mph servers.
Japan's Naomi Osaka in action during her quarter final match against Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova.
Osaka's outfits and tennis have sparkled in equal measure at this year's Championships, and the Japanese player's dominant victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday had many predicting she could go on and win a fifth Grand Slam title.
The 14th seed ran into inspired Czech Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, however, losing 7-6(4) 6-4.
On a day of personal bests, Muchova also ensured her deepest Wimbledon run after twice falling in the last eight and the 10th seed will now stand in the way of Gauff.
GAUFF'S GRASS DROUGHT ENDING
Muchova could be joined in the semi-finals by a second Czech on Wednesday when Linda Noskova plays Elise Mertens.
Coco Gauff of the US celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Jessica Pegula of the US.
Gauff's progress at this year's Wimbledon has been far from smooth, dropping sets in three of her four matches.
But she is finding ways to win. Friend and doubles partner Pegula, playing her first ever match on Centre Court, looked the more assured player for a set and a half on Tuesday but Gauff solved the puzzle for an impressive victory.
"Pretty insane, honestly," was Gauff's immediate reaction to the win over her fellow American. "Considering how I hadn't won a match on grass in two years before this tournament, I'm definitely just really happy with how I played today."
Zverev lost 12 of the first 13 points as he resumed at 3-3 in the third set against Lehecka and looked heavy-legged as all his good work on Monday appeared to be unravelling.
But he steadied the ship and, despite serving a double-fault on match point in the fourth-set tiebreak, he got it done.
"Who would have thought it's only taken me 12 years to get (to my first Wimbledon quarter-final), but I'm incredibly happy and relieved. But of course I want to play three more matches," he said on a paint-peeling day in London SW19.
NO SWEAT FOR SINNER
Sinner's second-round meltdown in a Parisian heatwave a few weeks ago had raised doubts about the red-haired Italian's ability to operate in extreme temperatures.
He never managed to find top gear against Grand Slam quarter-final debutant Struff and things might have got sweaty if he had not saved a set point in the second set.
But, ultimately, precision serving eased the top seed through to his 10th Grand Slam semi-final, where he faces seven-time champion Djokovic in a rematch of their clash at the same stage last year.