Jannik Sinner achieved a historic milestone in the second round of Wimbledon, securing his 95th Grand Slam victory by defeating Nuno Borges 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 on Centre Court. This win makes Sinner the Italian male tennis player with the most Grand Slam match victories, surpassing the legendary Nicola Pietrangeli.

After a challenging five-set battle against Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match, Sinner advanced past Borges in three sets. Despite the straight-sets win, the world number one faced considerable difficulty against his 48th-ranked ATP opponent.

The first two sets saw both players serving effectively, resulting in few long rallies. A turning point came in the second set when Borges led 5-4 and held a set point, but he missed a backhand volley during a decisive net approach. Sinner then converted a break point to level the score at 5-5 before winning the tie-break 7-2. This marked his 10th tie-break victory in his last 12 attempts.

Sinner hitting a forehand during his match against Borges, on Centre Court, at the All England Club, London, England on 1/7. Photo: Reuters

Borges did not give up in the third set. The two players exchanged three consecutive service breaks early in the set before Sinner regained his composure to close out the match on his second match point after 2 hours 32 minutes.

"The first set was tough. Both served well, so there weren't many rallies," Sinner stated after the match. "In matches like this, when you don't control many aspects of the game, it's important to still win. I am very happy to have two wins on grass here. Of course, there are still some things to improve."

Sinner also expressed delight playing in front of many golf stars in the stands, including Masters champion Rory McIlroy. "I definitely don't play golf as well as Carlos Alcaraz," Sinner jokingly remarked. "If you put a golf ball in front of me, I'd probably hit everything but the ball. I just play for fun; many other players are more serious about it."

In the third round, the 24-year-old player will face Jenson Brooksby, who defeated 31st seed Ignacio Buse in three sets. Their last encounter was in 2021 when the Italian player secured a victory in two straight sets in Washington.

"I watched part of Brooksby's match before I went on court. He played very well," Sinner observed. "It will be a completely different match. After almost five years, Brooksby has improved significantly, and so have I. I look forward to this encounter."

Vy Anh