Defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame a spirited challenge from Jan-Lennard Struff and soaring temperatures Tuesday to book his place in a third Wimbledon semifinal, moving one win closer to another Grand Slam final.
The world No. 1 was tested by the 36-year-old German, particularly in the opening two sets, but held his nerve to secure a commanding 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 quarterfinal victory.
Sinner will face either seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or Canadian third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday as he bids to reach the seventh Grand Slam final of his career and his first of the year.
The Italian also passed another important test by coping well with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) at the All England Club, a notable improvement after previous struggles in the heat, including his dramatic second-round collapse at this year's French Open, where he squandered a two-set lead and a 5-1 advantage before losing to Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
"Thanks for reminding me," the four-time Grand Slam champion joked when asked about the heat.
"We worked a lot, especially after Paris, trying to understand what went wrong there.
"In any case, it was a huge test today, but I felt really comfortable physically.
"If it happens again, and I hope not, we know we need to change a couple of things."
Sinner was beaten by Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals this year after winning their previous five meetings.
They have met three times before at Wimbledon. Djokovic won the 2022 quarterfinal and the 2023 semifinal before Sinner gained revenge in last year's semifinal.
"If it's Novak, I feel like every match is different. Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match has its own story," Sinner said of potentially facing the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
"In any case, I'm happy to be back in the semis. I'm happy to fight for every ball, then we'll see.
"He has won this tournament so many times, and he knows exactly how to approach it. I'm looking forward to it."
If Djokovic loses, Sinner can take confidence from winning his last five matches against Auger-Aliassime, dropping only one set in the process.
Struff started strongly, perhaps buoyed by pushing Sinner in a tight defeat on grass at Halle last month, but fell a set behind after being broken in the 11th game.
Struff carved out a set point in the second set, but Sinner saved it as the match went to a tiebreak.
The top seed quickly moved 5-2 ahead in the tiebreak and clenched his fist in delight when Struff sent a backhand long to give him a two-set lead.
Struff became the oldest first-time men's Grand Slam quarterfinalist of the Open era by reaching the last eight.
But his resistance ended as Sinner won the final three games to wrap up the match.
