Novak Djokovic will defend his Wimbledon title in a blockbuster final with world number one Carlos Alcaraz after the duo defeated Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev respectively in the semi-finals.
Djokovic advanced to a ninth Wimbledon final by defeating Italy's Sinner 6-3 6-4 7-6[4] before Alcaraz outclassed Medvedev 6-3 6-3 6-3, and the world number one ranking will also be at stake when the two top seeds face off in Sunday's headline contest.
Still chasing a host of records in what remains of this year's major, Djokovic found a ruthless streak when it mattered against Sinner, who upped his game during the dying embers but was otherwise outfought as Djokovic reached an all-time high 35th Grand Slam final, overtaking former record holder Chris Evert.
Sinner lost his serve straight away in the opening set, and while the Italian brought up three chances to break back, he failed to convert any of them as Djokovic took the opener.
The reigning champion earned another early break in the second set, but a couple of gripes with the umpire put him at risk of losing his advantage, as he was firstly penalised for hindrance after letting out a grunt too long after making his shot for the official's liking.
However, Sinner once again wasted that break point opportunity with a forehand into the net, and while Djokovic was also hit with a time violation, the second seed defended magnificently to come through a nervy hold.
As the third set progressed, both players - who had already fallen victim to the slippery surface - banged the soles of their shoes with their racquets to clean off the dirt, but Sinner was digging in for a fight and found himself with two set points on the Djokovic serve in the 10th game.
Once again, the Serbian denied an increasingly frustrated Sinner, who would earn the first mini-break of the third-set tie-breaker before losing it straight away with a double fault.
The Italian's backhand had largely served him well throughout the match, but two shots into the net on that side punched Djokovic's ticket to the final, where he will defend his crown against the only man sat above him in the ATP standings.
© Reuters
Much was made of the battle between the aggressive Alcaraz and defence-heavy Medvedev, the latter of whom tried to force the issue in the third set but was made to pay for a collection of mistakes.
In the eighth game of the opener, Medvedev attempted to channel his inner Alcaraz with a deft drop shot, which missed its mark and set up the Spaniard to earn the first break of the match.
Alcaraz did not manage a single ace in the first set, but his serves were still proving too hot for Medvedev to handle, and a few tired returns from the Russian wrapped up the first set for the number one seed.
Medvedev could have made things interesting with an early break in the second set, but he squandered that opportunity and fell a set and a break down as Alcaraz sent a sizzling backhand winner down the line.
Two set points came and went for Alcaraz, but on his third such opportunity, Medvedev failed to adequately return a deep shot right onto the baseline, and Alcaraz soon stormed into a 2-0 lead.
Medvedev looked crestfallen as a merciless Alcaraz gleaned a 3-0 advantage in the third set, but the third seed proceeded to drop deeper behind the baseline; a move that paid dividends as he finally earned his first break on an Alcaraz double fault to get back to 3-2.
However, Medvedev followed up the break with an error-strewn sixth game, being forced to save four break points before an Alcaraz smash - which the Russian did not even try to meet - quickly restored the 20-year-old's two-game advantage.
Lightning soon struck twice for Medvedev, who responded with another break before agonisingly losing serve again, and a quintessential Alcaraz forehand sent the US Open champion into his first Wimbledon final.
Ben Knapton
