Zverev reaches first Wimbledon quarterfinal after two-day battle; Struff's run ends against Sinner

Zverev's marathon victory

Alexander Zverev needed three match points and a tiebreak in the fourth set to overcome Czech world No. 14 Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6) and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. The match had been suspended on Monday evening at 11 p.m. local time with Zverev leading two sets to love and 3-3 in the third. When play resumed on Tuesday afternoon, the French Open champion struggled to find his rhythm, dropping the third set and facing early pressure in the fourth before steadying himself.

Who would have thought I'd need twelve years to get here.

Zverev, the world No. 3, now faces a daunting quarterfinal against American Taylor Fritz, the world No. 7, who has beaten him in their last seven meetings. That streak includes a round-of-16 win at Wimbledon in 2024, the 2025 Stuttgart final, and a recent semifinal in Halle. The match is scheduled as the second on Wednesday after 2 p.m. local time.

Struff's historic effort falls short

Jan-Lennard Struff, 36, saw his deepest Grand Slam run end with a 5-7, 6-7 (4-7), 3-6 defeat to top seed Jannik Sinner. The German started aggressively and troubled the Italian early, but Sinner raised his level at the crucial moments. Struff admitted his energy dipped in the third set.

In the third set the energy unfortunately went away for one or two games, he exploited that mercilessly.

Despite the loss, Struff's campaign was a breakthrough. In his 47th Grand Slam appearance, he became the oldest player in the Open Era to reach a first quarterfinal at Wimbledon or any major. He climbed from No. 74 to No. 40 in the live rankings. Sinner, who has now won four straight matches without dropping a set after a five-set opener, called Struff "a very, very tough opponent" and "a great person off the court."

Gauff wins all-American clash

In the women's draw, Coco Gauff rallied past Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the first semifinalist. The 22-year-old, a former US Open and French Open champion, will face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.

What comes next

Zverev's quarterfinal against Fritz is the standout match on Wednesday's order of play. The German must end a two-year losing streak against the American to keep his title hopes alive. Sinner awaits the winner of Félix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.