London - 08/07

Good morning and welcome back to TIE-Breakfast: all the tennis you need over breakfast.

Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Wednesday, July 8, in London it's 07:30 and it's 26 degrees. Ok, let's go.

Today's breakfast

• 🇷🇸 Djokovic survives Auger-Aliassime in five sets and reaches his eighth straight semifinal
• 🇮🇹 Sinner gets past Struff and flies into the semifinals: Friday's showdown with Djokovic
• 🇺🇸 Gauff comes back against Pegula in the all-American derby and reaches her first Wimbledon semifinal
• 🇨🇿 Muchova shuts down Osaka and confirms her feel for grass
• 🇮🇹 Paolini and Cobolli on court today for a spot in the semifinals

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇷🇸 Djokovic Bends Auger-Aliassime In Five Sets

Novak Djokovic beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4) after five hours and fifteen minutes on Centre Court, earning his eighth consecutive Wimbledon semifinal. More than the scoreline, what stands out is how he managed the two decisive tie-breaks: a player who has lived through dozens of matches like this still keeps finding the keys in the moments when the margin is cut to the bare minimum. Auger-Aliassime believed until the very last ball, and perhaps that is exactly the detail that lingers: that kind of resistance, against Djokovic, usually isn't enough anyway. What remains to be seen is how much energy a battle this long leaves ahead of Friday.

🇮🇹 Sinner In The Semifinals For The Third Time

Jannik Sinner got past Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6, 6-3 in two hours and thirty-five minutes, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the third time in his career after 2023 and 2025. The numbers tell of a solid rather than overwhelming performance, with 16 aces and a high rate on his first serve, and the feeling is that the world number one is growing round by round without forcing more than necessary. Djokovic awaits him on Friday, a matchup that over the past two years has often told the present and the past of this sport in the same afternoon. Matches like this, at this stage of the tournament, usually say a lot about where you really stand.

🇺🇸 Gauff Comes Back Against Pegula In The All-American Derby

Coco Gauff beat Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, reaching her first career Wimbledon semifinal after dropping the opening set. The interesting point is precisely the response: on grass, the surface that long felt like her least friendly, Gauff found a way to swing the momentum against a compatriot who had troubled her early on. More than the win itself, what seems to matter is the context in which it came, on a court where until recently she struggled to feel at home.

🇨🇿 Muchova Eliminates Osaka

Karolina Muchova got past Naomi Osaka 7-6, 6-4, confirming how well her varied game suits grass. The first-set tie-break probably shaped everything: against a player who still hits as hard on acceleration as Osaka, holding those points matters more than the gap in the final score. The semifinal now opening up for her speaks of a path built on consistency, rather than isolated flashes.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Kostyuk vs Paolini (Centre Court, from ~14:30) - Jasmine returns to the quarterfinals in London two years after the 2024 final, against an opponent who hits flat and gives no rhythm
• Noskova vs Mertens (Court 1, from ~14:00) - the other women's quarterfinal, the experienced Belgian against the still-raw talent of Noskova
• Cobolli vs Fery (Centre Court, to follow) - Flavio, after De Minaur, meets the home favourite on a wild card, with the whole Centre Court pushing for the Englishman
• Zverev vs Fritz (Court 1, to follow) - two big servers on grass, a quarterfinal that could turn on a handful of points

Read more

• Jannik Sinner is in the Wimbledon semifinals
• Djokovic outlasts Auger-Aliassime in 5-set Wimbledon thriller
• Coco Gauff battles back to beat Jessica Pegula
• Wimbledon 2026 order of play: the July 8 schedule
• Quarterfinals: analysis and head-to-heads for Cobolli-Fery and Kostyuk-Paolini

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast