Alcaraz, Sinner into Wimbledon last-eight as Sun shines
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and world number one Jannik Sinner were locked on a Wimbledon semi-final collision course on Sunday as unheralded Lulu Sun became the first New Zealand woman to reach the last-eight at the All England Club.
Injured American Madison Keys quit her last-16 clash against Jasmine Paolini in floods of tears after having been one game from victory, while Donna Vekic overcame three rain interruptions to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
World number three Alcaraz defeated French 16th seed Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to make the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the ninth time in just 14 appearances.
However, it was another uncomfortable afternoon for the Spaniard, who had needed five sets to see off Frances Tiafoe in the third round.
His erratic performance on Sunday saw him drop serve five times and commit an uncharacteristic 33 unforced errors.
The 21-year-old, bidding to become just the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back, eased through the first set under the Centre Court roof before crucially saving four break points in the fifth game of the second.
Humbert stormed back, breaking the champion three times in the third set as Alcaraz went spectacularly off the boil.
But Humbert handed over a service break in the 11th game of the fourth set and Alcaraz took full advantage to quickly seal the tie.
- 'Fight to last ball' -
"I will be there, fighting until the last ball," said Alcaraz, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz will take on American 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Roberto Bautista Agut, a 2019 semi-finalist, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2.
Over on Court One, top seed Sinner moved into the last-eight with a 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (11/9) win over American 14th seed Ben Shelton.
Sinner, who won his maiden Slam crown at the Australian Open this year, will face Russian fifth seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in the semi-finals in a rematch of their final in Melbourne.
Sinner's best performance at Wimbledon came in 2023 when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
"It was a tough match, especially the third set. I had to keep saving set points. These matches can go long but I was glad to close it in three," said Sinner.
Medvedev, a semi-finalist last year, progressed when 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov retired in the first set with a knee injury.
Lulu Sun made history for New Zealand with a three-set victory over Emma Raducanu, shattering home hopes of ending a 47-year wait for a British women's champion.
Qualifier Sun, ranked at 123, triumphed 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 over the 2021 US Open winner.
The 23-year-old left-hander hit 52 winners against Raducanu, who took a medical time-out in the third set to treat problems with her ankle and back.
"It was a great match against Emma. I really dug deep to get the win," said Sun.
Sun will next face Croatia's Donna Vekic as she bids to become only the second New Zealand woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final after Belinda Cordwell at the 1989 Australian Open.
Vekic, the world number 37, clinched a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Spain's Paula Badosa on the back of 33 winners.
- 'It's sad' -
US 12th seed Keys was just one game away from a third quarter-final at the All England Club before she was forced to quit against Paolini.
After dropping the first set to the seventh seed Italian, Keys hit back to level the match at 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
The 2017 US Open runner-up then raced into a 5-2 lead in the decider when she suffered a left leg injury in the eighth game.
At 5-4, she took a medical time-out, returned with her left leg bandaged but with her movement severely restricted, she wept openly on court before quitting at 5-5.
Paolini will face reigning US Open champion and second seed Coco Gauff or 19th seed Emma Navarro for a place in the semi-finals.
"I'm very sorry for her. It's sad," said French Open runner-up Paolini, who had never won a grass-court match until two weeks ago.
L.Scott--EWJ
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