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Wimbledon day nine: Djokovic sees off Rublev, Svitolina shocks Swiatek

Wimbledon day nine: Djokovic sees off Rublev, Svitolina shocks Swiatek
© Reuters
Novak Djokovic progresses to the semi-finals of Wimbledon with a four-set win over Andrey Rublev, while Elina Svitolina shocks world number one Iga Swiatek.

Defending men's Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic advanced to a record-equalling 46th Grand Slam semi-final with a four-set win over Russia's Andrey Rublev in Tuesday's quarter-final.

The 23-time major winner fought back after Rublev took the first set to post a 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 victory, equalling Roger Federer's record for Grand Slam semi-final appearances in ruthless fashion.

Djokovic struggled to land his first serves in the opener, but the Serbian subsequently found his groove to quell the threat of Rublev, who took just one of the eight break points he managed to fashion.

An extraordinary lob return and down-the-line backhand winner brought up three match points for Djokovic, who missed one before taking his second on a backhand slice at the net, which Rublev dived to reach but was unable to keep the contest alive.

The number two seed will battle for a spot in the men's singles final against Italian trailblazer Jannik Sinner, who reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time with a four-set triumph over Russia's Roman Safiullin.

Jannik Sinner reacts at Wimbledon on July 11, 2023© Reuters

One of just two unseeded men's singles players left in the tournament alongside Christopher Eubanks, Safiullin took Sinner to four sets after initially falling 3-1 down in the second, but the eighth seed came good to win 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-2.

Sinner produced at least three aces in each set as he snapped his streak of quarter-final exits at major tournaments, having fallen at that stage in last year's Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.

Five double faults alone in the third set from Safiullin helped Sinner's cause, and the Italian 21-year-old won 90% of points behind his first serve to become the youngest player since 2007 to reach the SW19 semi-finals - a feat that will quickly be broken by either Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina continued her inspirational run with an astounding three-set win over world number one Iga Swiatek, prevailing 7-5 6-7[5] 6-2 in two hours and 51 minutes.

Svitolina - who only returned to action in April after becoming a mother and entered Wimbledon as a wild card - capitalised on a spate of uncharacteristic mistakes from Swiatek, who was punished for inconsistency on her forehand in particular.

Elina Svitolina reacts at Wimbledon on July 9, 2023© Reuters

The world number one racked up 41 errors compared to Svitolina's 25, while the Ukrainian converted six of the nine break points she brought up, as Swiatek's second serve also let her down.

Roared on by the crowd, Svitolina blew Swiatek away in the deciding set, racing into a 5-1 lead before squandering one match point with a double fault, but the world number one subsequently netted on a forehand to send Svitolina through to her third Grand Slam semi-final.

There, she will face the Czech Republic's unseeded Marketa Vondrousova, who pulled off her own upset with a three-set beating of American fourth seed Jessica Pegula.

Vondrousova also fought back from a second-set blip to triumph 6-4 2-6 6-4, hitting 24 winners compared to 16 for Pegula, who did not manage a single ace on Court One.

Pegula was seemingly on course for a last-four appearance as she built up a 4-1 lead in the third set, but Vondrousova embarked on a stellar five-game winning sequence to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final since the 2019 French Open, where she lost to Ashleigh Barty in the showpiece match.

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Novak Djokovic in action at Wimbledon on July 3, 2023
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