Madison Keys (left) had to give up, Jasmine Paolini is in the quarterfinals. © APA/afp / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Alcaraz and Paolini in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini are the first tennis professionals to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon.

July 07, 2024

From: apa/dpa/reuters

The Spaniard won against Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6:3, 6:4, 1:6, 7:5 under the indoor roof on Sunday. The Italian Paolini benefited from a resignation by the American Madison Keys, who, in her view, could no longer play due to an injury at the score of 3:6, 7:6(6), 5:5.

Keys lost her own serve at 5:2 in the deciding set and grabbed her left groin. A short time later, the tournament's number 12 limped off the court to take a medical time-out. She then reappeared with her thigh bandaged. In the rallies that followed, it was clear that Keys could no longer keep up. The 29-year-old, who was now in tears, was apparently also experiencing pain from normal steps when walking.

Now against Gauff?

"I feel so sorry for her. It's sad to end the match like this. We played a really good match," said Paolini, who became the first Italian woman in the Open era to reach a Wimbledon quarterfinal. She will next face either US Open champion Coco Gauff or 19th-seeded American Emma Navarro.

In the round of 8: Carlos Alcaraz © ANSA / ADAM VAUGHAN

Two days after his five-set victory over the American Frances Tiafoe, Alcaraz had to accept another set loss against Humbert. The 21-year-old had problems with his own serve against the strong left-hander, and it took almost three hours for Alcaraz to secure his place in the quarterfinals. To reach the semifinals, Alcaraz must win the round of the best eight against the American Tommy Paul or his Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut.