- Jannik Sinner is world number one but is looking for his first Wimbledon title
- The Italian made easy work of the young American Ben Shelton
- Sinner will face either Grigor Dimitrov or Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals next year.
There is a school of thought that holds that Jannik Sinner is not well known outside of tennis circles despite being world number one, but this week could be the one that finally propels him into the public consciousness.
After easily edging past American Ben Shelton in straight sets, Australian Open winner Sinner has booked a quarter-final date with either Daniil Medvedev or Grigor Dimitrov and will likely face reigning SW19 champion Carlos Alcaraz in the last four.
Judging by what has been seen in the first seven days of this championship, Sinner would be the favourite not only to topple the heir to the Big Four of men’s tennis, but to win all the titles and claim a second Grand Slam title.
While Sinner, 22, has yet to capture the imagination of sports fans at home, it is clear that the All England Club – and its representatives – are keen to boost his publicity.
Simply put, you can’t go a minute without seeing his face plastered on a sign on the grounds.
Jannik Sinner’s bid for a first Wimbledon title remains alive after his straight-sets victory on Sunday
American Ben Shelton, with his great serve, was defeated in straight sets by Sinner on court number 1
In a promotional campaign last year, British tennis and Wimbledon legend Andy Murray was omitted from an illustration showing the “new guard” walking down the stairs ahead of the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Sinner was in the foreground.
His face appears on Gucci billboards in central London, other campaign models line the escalators at Earl’s Court (a central station where many change to the District Line to head to SW19) and the Italian is the focus of adverts in Southfields and at the end of the promenade up to the All England Club.
Designer brands, advertisers and Wimbledon itself are clearly banking on Sinner to lead the next generation, and rightly so. Here he was on point against Shelton, sweeping through the first two sets and showing his mettle when tested in the third to win 6-2, 6-4, 7-6.
As a kid, Shelton wanted to be a football quarterback, which helps us understand where he honed his monster serve. He hit 15 aces, but ultimately his serve let him down and he double-faulted, giving the match to Sinner in a 20-point tiebreak.
Shelton will be disappointed, but he has impressed once again and will move up the rankings.
There was a lot of mutual respect at the end when Shelton congratulated his conqueror.
Sinner has a lot of work to do on his grass-court game, but in a relatively short match (two hours and eight minutes) he showed class and composure to push on and claim a convincing victory.
“It was a very difficult match, especially the third set,” Sinner said.
‘In these kinds of games, the matches can be very long, and I’m very happy to have closed it out in three. We want to win, but we want to put on a show for all the fans. We try to smile and be excited on the pitch.
“The next match will be tough. It’s a great honour and a privilege to play here. I hope it’s a good match to watch.”