Sinner and Zverev book Wimbledon final as Fery’s dream run ends

Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon title defence will finish with a Centre Court final against Alexander Zverev after both men came through Friday’s semi-finals in straight sets.

Sinner, the world No. 1 and defending champion, beat seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to reach a second successive final at the All England Club. The Italian’s serving numbers told much of the story: multiple reports credited him with 16 aces and no double faults, and Djokovic was unable to find the sustained return pressure usually needed to turn a match of this scale.

It was another significant grass-court statement from Sinner, who has recovered strongly from a testing start to the fortnight and now has the chance to retain the Wimbledon title on Sunday. Djokovic, still chasing a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, left Centre Court after a campaign that again underlined his durability, but this semi-final belonged firmly to the defending champion.

Earlier, Zverev ended Arthur Fery’s remarkable home run with a 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 victory. Fery, a British wildcard, had become one of the stories of the tournament by reaching the semi-finals, and he stayed close through the opening set before Zverev dominated the tie-break and steadily took control.

The LTA reported that Zverev won 78% of his service points across the match, while Fery’s push to become only the second British man in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon singles final ultimately came up short. Even so, his fortnight should stand as a major breakthrough and one of the most memorable British runs at SW19 in recent years.

The result leaves Wimbledon with a heavyweight men’s final between the top two seeds: Sinner, established as the defending champion on grass, against Zverev, who arrived in London with major-winning form after his Roland Garros title.

Before that, Saturday brings an all-Czech women’s final between Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova. Both are chasing a first Grand Slam singles title, giving Wimbledon the prospect of a new champion before the men’s trophy is decided on Sunday.