Wimbledon’s 2025 quarterfinal round delivered two dramatic victories on Tuesday, as defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner and rising American star Coco Gauff booked their spots in the tournament’s final four, setting the stage for potentially historic showdowns in the coming days.
World number one Sinner navigated both a tricky opponent and a punishing London heatwave to end 36-year-old German Jan-Lennard Struff’s Cinderella run, clinching a 7-5, 7-6(7/4), 6-3 victory on Court One. Struff’s run to the quarterfinals already made history: he is the oldest first-time major quarterfinalist in the Open Era. But Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, relied on his powerful serve to keep the world number 74 under control, securing his 10th Grand Slam semifinal appearance and third trip to the Wimbledon last four.
The result puts Sinner one step away from a highly anticipated semifinal clash with seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who faces Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in a later Tuesday quarterfinal. For Sinner, the win also silenced pre-match questions about his heat endurance, a weakness that derailed his French Open campaign earlier this year. At Roland Garros, he collapsed from physical fatigue after holding a two-set and 5-1 lead over Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo, suffering a stunning second-round exit. Speaking after his win over Struff, Sinner confirmed his team had reworked his preparation to address that shortcoming. “It was a huge test today. I felt comfortable on the physical side, a good step forwards,” he said. “We worked a lot after Paris trying to understand what went wrong and prepared in the best possible way.”
For Djokovic, a win over Auger-Aliassime would mark a series of historic milestones. The 39-year-old Serb is chasing a record-tying eighth Wimbledon singles title that would also give him a record 25th Grand Slam crown, making him the oldest men’s Grand Slam champion of the Open Era. A victory would also push him into a record-extending 15th Wimbledon semifinal and 55th major semifinal overall, as well as an eighth consecutive trip to the All England Club’s last four — a new record for the longest streak of men’s singles semifinal appearances in Wimbledon history.
In the women’s draw, Gauff fought back from an opening set loss to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, booking her first ever Wimbledon semifinal spot in an all-American clash on Centre Court. The seventh-seeded 20-year-old, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was competing in her first Wimbledon quarterfinal, and got off to a sluggish start, allowing 32-year-old fourth seed Pegula to take the first set. But Gauff shifted gears quickly, seizing momentum in the second set and closing out the win in the third to advance.
The milestone caps a remarkable career arc for Gauff, who made history seven years ago as the youngest player to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw at 15, famously beating Venus Williams in her debut. Now, she is just two wins away from claiming the most prestigious title in tennis, and already has made history as the youngest player to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova achieved the feat in 2007. It is also Gauff’s first Grand Slam semifinal appearance since she won the 2024 French Open. “Considering I hadn’t won a match in two years on grass before this tournament, I’m really happy with how I played today,” Gauff said. She will next face either Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka or Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova, whose quarterfinal is scheduled for later Tuesday.
Osaka, 28, is enjoying a career resurgence at this year’s Wimbledon, five years after her last Grand Slam title. While she has claimed two Australian Open and two US Open crowns, she had never found success at the All England Club until this tournament, where she pulled off a stunning fourth-round upset over world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. A fan favorite throughout the event for her bold, eye-catching entrance outfits, Osaka is now aiming to back up the off-court attention with a deep run in the draw. Muchova, a 29-year-old former French Open finalist, is also vying for her first Wimbledon semifinal spot.
In other delayed action on Tuesday, 2024 French Open champion Alexander Zverev returned to finish his suspended third-round match against Czech player Jiri Lehecka. The match was called off at the 2200 GMT curfew on Monday evening, with Zverev holding a two-set lead.