Djokovic tames Shapovalov, sets up title clash with Berrettini

Defending champion Novak Djokovic absorbed a barrage of powerful hitting from Canadian Denis Shapovalov to reach his seventh Wimbledon final on Friday with a 7-6(3) 7-5 7-5 victory that kept the indefatigable Serb on course to write history.

The 34-year-old was eclipsed at times by his 22-year-old opponent on an overcast Centre Court but as he almost always does, converted his chances in clinical fashion to set up a Sunday showdown with Italian Matteo Berrettini.

Tenth seed Shapovalov was bidding to become only the second Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon final and despite producing some scintillating tennis, he was left pondering what might have been after failing to crack the toughest nut in the business.

He struck 40 winners but whenever Djokovic found himself in peril, he manned the barricades, saving 10 of the 11 break points he faced and making only 15 unforced errors as he refused to be derailed in his pursuit of a 20th Grand Slam title.

“I don’t think the scoreline says enough about the performance or the match. He (Shapovalov) was serving for the first set and was probably the better player,” said Djokovic.

“I would like to give him a big round of applause for everything he has done today and also this two weeks. We are going to see a lot of him in the future, he is a great player.”

Victory on Sunday will not only take Djokovic level with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on 20 Slam wins.

Djokovic won the opening set despite Shapovalov serving for it at 5-4, then saved several break points in the second as his opponent threw the kitchen sink at the five-time champion.

Even in the third set Shapovalov continued shooting from the hip but eventually his fire blew out as Djokovic claimed one of the toughest straight sets wins of his Wimbledon career.

Shapovalov left the court with tears in his eyes but he showed enough in a marvellous run to suggest that he is ready to challenge for the biggest prizes in tennis.

Earlier, Berrettini became the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon singles final on Friday with a four-sets victory against Hubert Hurkacz.

Berrettini claimed a 6-3, 6-0, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 win over his Polish opponent who had knocked out eight-time champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.

World number nine Berrettini will attempt to become Italy’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Adriano Panatta at the 1976 French Open.

“I think I never dreamed about this because it was too much for a dream,” said Berrettini.

“I am trying to be the best at everything but after the third set I was feeling I deserved to win it but lost it.

“I said ‘it doesn’t matter’, I was feeling the stronger player and that’s what I said to myself and eventually it paid off.”

Should he win on Sunday, Berrettini may be able to celebrate a national double with Italy facing England in the Euro 2020 final in London later that day.

“So far it is the best tennis day of my life but hopefully Sunday will be even better. I feel kind of chills but I am doing it, so I have to believe it.”

Berrettini, having wasted three break points earlier in the first set, eventually broke through in the seventh game, backing it up in the ninth, converting set point courtesy of an ugly forehand shank from the Pole.

The 25-year-old then raced through the second set in just 23 minutes, a Hurkacz double fault and a wrong-footing forehand allowing Berrettini to seal a 10th successive game.

That became 11 games in a row at the start of the third set before 18th-ranked Hurkacz, bidding to be the first Polish man to make a Slam final, stopped the rot.

Hurkacz held on and swept the third set tiebreaker but his momentum was quickly halted as the Italian broke for 1-0 in the fourth.

Berrettini was unable to convert a match point in the ninth game but made no mistake on his own service.

The Italian fired 22 aces, taking his tournament total past the 100-mark, and 60 winners.

He only faced two break points, both of which he saved.

He is one win away from emulating Boris Becker in 1985 in winning the prestigious Queen’s tournament on his debut and then Wimbledon a few weeks later.

“When I crossed paths with Becker, he told me to like have a long run in Wimbledon, you have to be like that, like this, try to do this,” said Berrettini.

“I’m like, Okay, maybe this guy he stepped into Wimbledon and he thought about making the finals.

“I didn’t think like that. I knew I could do it, but I didn’t think I am going to do it because this is how I am.”

Agencies