Djokovic overcomes Rublev to reach Wimbledon semis

Novak Djokovic came through a bruising battle with seventh seed Andrey Rublev to maintain his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon men’s title.

Second seed Djokovic, 36, will play Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the last four.

Sinner, 21, reached his first Grand Slam semi-final by beating Russian Roman Safiullin 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2.

In contrast, Djokovic will contest a 46th major men’s semi-final – having equalled Roger Federer’s all-time record – when the pair meet on Friday.

Four-time defending champion Djokovic’s hard-fought win against Russia’s Rublev was his 33rd consecutive victory at the All England Club.

He has not lost a completed match in SW19 since 2016 and has not been beaten on Centre Court since losing the 2013 final against Britain’s Andy Murray.

Sacrifices pay off for Sinner

Sinner had lost his four previous major quarter-finals but dominated after a wobble in the second set to earn his breakthrough win.

Sinner is the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since 2007, although that record will be beaten by Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune, who contest their quarter-final on Wednesday.

“It means a lot to me,” Sinner said, after standing arms aloft as he sealed the win.

“We put in a lot of work in many, many hours – a lot of sacrifices. It is a very nice moment for me.”

After clinching the first set with a single break of serve, Sinner, a top junior skier, led 3-1 in the second before losing five games in a row as Safiullin levelled.

The 25-year-old Russian, 92nd in the world and bidding to be the lowest-ranked player to reach the last four since 2008, was unable to make the final two sets a contest once Sinner regained his composure.

“I was break up in the second and got down a little bit,” Sinner said. “I am very happy with how I reacted.”