Sinner reaches a fifth straight Wimbledon quarterfinal, the youngest to do so since Sampras
The defending champion (No 1) brushed aside qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 for a fifth straight Wimbledon quarterfinal, carrying a 34-from-35 record into the last eight.
Jannik Sinner, Wimbledon 2026 | © Action Plus / PsNewz
Jannik Sinner extended one of the most relentless runs in the sport on Sunday, ending Shintaro Mochizuki’s fairytale with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 win to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for a fifth consecutive year. At 24, the defending champion becomes the youngest man to reach five straight quarterfinals at the All England Club since Pete Sampras, who was 24 years and 317 days when he did so in 1996.
The serve did the heavy lifting. The world No. 1 fired 15 aces, won 82% of the points behind a first delivery that found its mark 70% of the time, and saved all five break points he faced against the Japanese qualifier.
The only real friction came off the racquet. At 4-4 in the second set, Sinner wanted the roof closed; Mochizuki, ranked No. 151 and chasing the biggest result of his life, wanted to play on. Officials sided with the champion and shut the roof over Centre Court.
Sinner’s 11th in a row at Wimbledon
It changed nothing about the outcome, nor about a trajectory that has become almost monotonous in its efficiency. Victory was Sinner’s 11th in a row at Wimbledon and his 41st of 2026; he has now won 34 of his last 35 matches. It was also his 15th Grand Slam quarterfinal, a remarkable tally at 24 that extends his own Italian record.
Sinner was quick to salute a beaten opponent who had come through qualifying. “First time we played, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said on court. “I tried to handle certain situations slightly better than him, which I’ve done. But he’s an incredible player. Coming from qualies and playing such a high level for such a long time, it’s amazing. He should be proud of himself, and of course the whole team.”
The champion was satisfied with his own afternoon, if not dazzled by it. “It’s very tricky to face him – on this surface his game suits it very, very well,” he said. “I tried to stay a bit more aggressive. I had some chances in the second set, couldn’t use them, but I’m still very happy about today. I’m trying to step up every day a little bit better.”
Wimbledon 2026, men’s singles fourth round
J. Sinner [1] d. S. Mochizuki (Q): 6-3, 7-6(0), 6-3
J. Struff d. H. Hurkacz: 3-6, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 7-5, 4-2 Ret.
F. Auger-Aliassime [3] d. A. Davidovich Fokina [22]: 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1
N. Djokovic [7] d. R. Safiullin (Q): 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
A. De Minaur [5] vs F. Cobolli [9] – Monday
G. Dimitrov (W) vs A. Fery (W) – Monday
T. Fritz [6] vs A. Bublik [10] – Monday
A. Zverev [2] vs J. Lehecka [13] – Monday
For Mochizuki, a qualifier who had authored the run of the tournament, it was the end of a memorable week, markes by a win against Rafael Jodar. For Sinner, it was another step toward the only goal that interests him: defending his title. He next faces Jan-Lennard Struff, the 36-year-old German into the last eight of a major for the first time, against whom Sinner has won all three previous meetings.
“Very aggressive player, big, big server, so let’s see,” Sinner said of his quarterfinal opponent. “But now the most important thing is to rest. I have big respect for him. We’ve faced each other a couple of times, and the last time was on grass, in Halle – it was a very, very tight match. Let’s see what’s coming.”
