Wearing a protective sleeve on his right arm due to an elbow injury sustained in a fall during his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner dominated the first-set tie-break, scoring seven consecutive points. He then claimed the next two sets by breaking Shelton's serve once in each.

Shelton (right) congratulates Sinner after their quarterfinal match on Centre Court at the All England Club in London, England, on 9/7. Photo: Reuters

Shelton (right) congratulates Sinner after their quarterfinal match on Centre Court at the All England Club in London, England, on 9/7. Photo: Reuters

"I always want to be on the court, so it wasn't a question of whether I would play, but how well I could play. Today, my performance was very good," Sinner said after securing his sixth consecutive victory over Shelton. "I'm happy because yesterday I only practiced for about 20 minutes, didn't serve, and my shots weren't 100%. I tried not to practice too much to avoid any risks for the quarterfinal."

Despite the arm issue, Sinner served effectively and hit powerful groundstrokes with both his forehand and backhand. The quality of his play and his consistency prevented Shelton from capitalizing on any break points. The American player fought hard, saving two match points, but it wasn't enough to stop Sinner.

In the two-hour, 21-minute match, Sinner achieved a first-serve percentage of 89% and made only 17 unforced errors. Shelton, on the other hand, recorded 14 aces but also committed six double faults and hit 38 shots out of bounds.

With this win, Sinner advances to his second Wimbledon semifinal. In his first appearance in 2023, he lost to Novak Djokovic. Two years later, Sinner will face Djokovic again on the grass courts of this Grand Slam. A month ago, Sinner defeated the Serbian veteran in the semifinals of Roland Garros.

"Many things have changed for me in the past few years. I feel increasingly comfortable and confident before every match," Sinner added. "I know I still have to keep working and putting pressure on myself because Novak is still there, as well as Carlos Alcaraz and many other players. The work never stops. I'm excited. I believe I'm different, and I hope I can say I've matured."

Vy Anh