(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will face each other for the 2025 Wimbledon men’s championship after both won their semifinal matches on Friday.
Sinner dispatched Djokovic in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. And the score indicates how one-sided the match was. Going into Friday’s matchup, there was some question as to whether Djokovic hurt himself on a fall late in his quarterfinal match with Flavio Cobelli on Wednesday. Djokovic canceled his Thursday practice, which raised further concerns.
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Those concerns were justified as Djokovic had difficulty moving side to side throughout. He particularly had trouble moving to his right, couldn’t push off to get to returns and limped after points.
Djokovic appeared to recover after a medical timeout between the second and third sets and took a 3-0 lead. But Sinner wasn’t fazed, eventually breaking serve and taking back control from a clearly hobbled Djokovic. On several points, Djokovic couldn’t even attempt to reach Sinner’s returns, especially if it meant changing direction.
In the earlier semifinal, Fritz provided a strong threat. The American played arguably the best match of his career, frequently overpowering Alcaraz with his serve. However, unless Fritz was controlling the match with his serve, Alcaraz was able to battle back.
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The defending champion baffled Fritz with a variety of shots, feathering drop shots at the net and slicing backhands down the line to catch his opponent out of position. Fritz forced a tiebreaker in the final set, but Alcaraz never faltered. As he often demonstrates, he can raise his game as needed while the player on the other side hits a ceiling.
Alcaraz eventually knocked Fritz off 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6), pushing him into the Wimbledon final for the third straight year. Alcaraz has won the event the last two years, and will be looking for a third consecutive Wimbledon title Sunday against Sinner.
Here is how Friday’s men’s semifinal matches played out in Yahoo Sports’ live coverage:
