Relentless Sinner downs Djokovic, Zverev ends Fery's dream run to set up blockbuster Wimbledon final

Reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner has ended Novak Djokovic's latest bid to claim a record 25th grand slam title in ruthless fashion with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.

He will now face off against Alexander Zverev, who earlier ended Briton Arthur Fery's bid to stake a place in Wimbledon history by making the men's singles final as a wildcard.

The searing temperatures of previous days dipped for the day's semifinals, but Sinner turned up the heat on the 39-year-old Djokovic who barely laid a glove on the Italian.

For Djokovic, it was a fifth loss in his last six grand slam semifinals, and the clock is ticking for the Serb and his hopes of moving ahead of Margaret Court on the all-time list for most major titles in the history of the sport.

The Centre Court crowd, who were not always Djokovic's firmest fans when he battled Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal for supremacy, joined in chants of "Nole, Nole" throughout the match and willed him to make a fight of it.

But Sinner was just too good, serving 16 aces and conceding just six points on his first serve.

After Djokovic left the famous arena to loud applause, Sinner paid tribute to a player who still remains better than virtually every player in the world.

"It's the most special tournament we have and it means a lot to me, of course, playing against Novak," Sinner said on court.

"He is still a true inspiration not only for you guys, but also for the new generation. What he's doing is incredible."

Djokovic had spent 16 and a half hours on court to reach his eighth successive Wimbledon semifinal and 15th in total, including the longest match of the tournament against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday, and that exertion finally seemed to catch up with him.

From the moment Sinner pummelled a backhand winner down the line to break serve in the ninth game of the opening set, Djokovic's task began to look like mission impossible.

Djokovic admitted there was little he could do against a rampant Sinner, who will now play in his seventh grand slam final.

"Was a good old blowout, nothing much I could do," Djokovic, who vowed to return next year for another go, told reporters.

"He was at cruising speed and I could not catch him."

Sinner was dialled in from the first game against the man he lost to at the same stage of this year's Australian Open, peppering the lines with punishing ground strokes and dominating on his laser-like serve.

He did not face a single break point for nearly two hours of Friday's contest, by which time he had the match under control — and even that was saved with a booming ace.

Zverev bids for back-to-back grand slams

Earlier, Alexander Zverev ended the remarkable Wimbledon run of Briton Arthur Fery with a 7-6(0) 6-2 6-4 victory on Friday to reach the final, where he will have an opportunity to win back-to-back grand slam trophies after his French Open success.

Fresh off his Roland Garros triumph that handed him a long-awaited breakthrough after years of heartbreak, the German made his fifth major title clash with ease, finding his stride after trading breaks early with the wildcard.

On a warm afternoon punctuated by gusts of wind, it was all smooth sailing for Zverev once he reached the first set tiebreak, where the 29-year-old did not drop a point.

"It was amazing … Arthur, what an unbelievable player," Zverev said.

"He's going to be a senior citizen on our tour, because I think he's going to play for 15-plus years, and is going to have great results. This is just the beginning of his career and I really think he's going to do amazing things."

Fery, bidding to become the second man to make a major final as a wildcard after Goran Ivanisevic at Wimbledon in 2001, kept pushing in the next set, but he quickly found himself down 1-4 as his more experienced opponent dialled up the intensity.

The vociferous Centre Court crowd rallied behind Fery after the 23-year-old appeared to let his frustrations boil over, but they were soon silenced when Zverev unshackled his fiery serve and forehand to tighten his grip on the match.

"It was such a fair crowd. I enjoyed every second of it. A lot of stadiums and crowds in the world can take the example of this crowd. It's one of the best to play tennis in front of."

Up two sets to love, Zverev continued to dominate Fery and breezed through in clinical fashion to ensure he became only the 13th man in the professional era since 1968 to reach all four grand slam finals.

"This grand slam's always been the one I struggle with the most and now all of a sudden, I'm in the final of Wimbledon, so I'm incredibly happy and incredibly proud," Zverev said.

"But we've got one more match to go on Sunday, and that's where the focus will be."

Click here to read article