Wimbledon: Cobolli and Paolini join Sinner in the quarter-finals

Under the watchful eye of Roger Federer – looking extremely elegant in a brown suit and dark sunglasses, seated in the front row of the Royal Box – and that of tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was sitting a little further on, Jasmine Paolini defeated Alexandra Eala on Centre Court at Wimbledon; Eala, born in 2005, had knocked out Iga Swiatek in the third round. The Italian won with grit and experience in a match that was only occasionally entertaining, affected by the wind blowing across Centre Court and the numerous unforced errors committed by both players. It finished 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The decisive break came in the third set, at 4-3 to the Italian, who played with great focus, controlling her returns, aided by an untimely double fault from Eala. At the same time, on Court 1, Flavio Cobolli battled it out with Alex De Minaur, managing to clinch the match in three sets: 7-5, 7-6, 6-3. A performance that left him feeling proud and satisfied at the press conference, where he said he was “ready for more prestigious achievements” (he had also reached the quarter-finals here at Wimbledon last year).

These two important results come on top of Jannik Sinner’s victory on Sunday over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki, who had come through the qualifiers: an entertaining match that kept the crowd glued to their seats until well past ten o’clock in the evening. The 23-year-old, born in Kawasaki, plays an attacking game that is rarely seen on tennis courts these days: whenever he gets the chance, he pushes forward to the net to finish off the point (or at least try to), applying relentless pressure. Sinner had to find his feet, struggling a little in the second set, where his opponent forced him into a tie-break but at the same time laid bare his inexperience: numerous errors and a 7-0 run that dashed all hope. The match ended 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

On Tuesday 7 July, Sinner will face Germany’s Struff; on Wednesday 8, Jasmine Paolini will have to overcome the challenge posed by Marta Kostjiuc; and Flavio Cobolli will take on Arthur Fery, who pulled off a surprise victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the fifth set.