Key events
To our first match, and how does Struff get at Sinner? Well, the unpalatable truth is I’m not sure he does – if Sinner plays properly, this isn’t a contest, whatever Struff does. But Sinner’s hitting from the back, especially down the line – usually so consistent – has been a bit off lately, so perhaps, if Struff can’t finish points early with his concussive forehand length, it might be worth seeing if he can incite the error by hitting balls deep and down the middle of the court.
More likely, though, I expect Struff to take the Stanimal approach and attack everything, hoping to hit a a seam. I also wonder if he’ll try and drop-shots, looking to get Sinner tired but also to use his doubles-generated volleying advantage.
On BBC, they note that Gauff hasn’t made a Wimbledon quarter until this year, though she made round three as a 16-year-old. Mainly, that’s because grass doesn’t suit her game as well as other surfaces – her serve isn’t where it needs to be, and it’s harder to hide her forehand than it is on clay, where theres more time to adjust feet.
Pegula, on the other hand, is a better-rounded player, but without the big weapons you need to win majors. Her returning, though. is good enough to give Gauff fits and the two, who used to play doubles together, are good mates, which adds a further dimension to this match. Bottom line: I don’t think either are ready to win this title.
Also going on:
Preamble
Wotcha and welcome to Wimbledon 2026 – day nine!
Now we’re getting serious. Two show courts, 10 players in form, and each of them tingling, contemplating the feeling of a lifetime.
We begin on No 1 Court with Jannik Sinner, one of only two players in either draw to have won this title before. But, after an astounding run earlier in the year, his body failed him at Roland Garros and he hasn’t looked his usual impregnable self since.
Naturally, elite sport being the ruthless brute that it is, the other players have twigged; where once they knew they were done for, now they fancy it, and though Jan-Leonard Struff isn’t the likeliest candidate to dethrone the champ, to get to this point he’s beaten Sebástian Báez, Brandon Nakashima, Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz. Or, in other words, he’s in form and feeling himself.
Opening up on Centre half an hour later, we’ve got Jess Pegula – desperately chasing the maiden grand slam title but constantly crashing into her athletic ceiling – against Coco Gauff, taken to a deciding set in three of her four matches so far, but one of sport’s great explorers; few are better at finding a way to win. If Pegula plays well, pulling it off isn’t beyond her and, at 32, she’s running out of time so, given the way the seeds have fallen, knows she’ll never get a better shot. She’ll tell herself to the contrary because how else can she go on, but in her heart she knows: her career is on the line here.
The match of the day, though, comes second on No 1, where Naomi Osaka, fresh from dispatching Aryna Sabalenka, now faces a very different challenge. Karolina Muchova – another chasing the debut major she’s seen players of far less talent seize – blends touch, craft and power in a way that’s ideal for grass courts. Can Osaka thrive against an opponent able to put her in uncomfortable positions and likely to haul her to the net? She’s going to have to.
Second on Centre, an interlude: Alexander Zverev leads Jiri Lehecka by two sets to love, and the pair will return locked at 3-3 in the third to finish a match called off last evening. Most likely, the no 2 seed finishes the job in short order, but both players know that if his level drops, he’s vulnerable.
Then, finally for today, we’ve Novak Djokovic – another pondering an opportunity he feared might never come, but in pursuit of the tricky 25th grand slam title that, so far, has eluded us all. Generally speaking, Felix Auger-Aliassime is exactly the kind of opponent he’d dismiss in that quest, a fine athelete unable to play well enough for long enough to beat the best in the biggest tournaments. But at 25, he might just be maturing into the player he promised to be and, if he can make it physical, he can make it happen.
Play: 1pm BST on No 1 Court, 1.30pm BST on Centre Court
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