Defending Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner made qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki eat his words with a straight-sets victory on Centre Court to safely progress into the quarter-finals.
Mochizuki had described the four-time grand-slam winner as a “celebrity” before this Sunday night meeting but promised to try and make life uncomfortable out of fear of being destroyed during a maiden fourth-round tie at a major.
Former Wimbledon junior champion Mochizuki at times lived up to his declaration with several eye-catching volleys along with a never-say-die attitude that endeared himself to the SW19 crowd, but Sinner eased through with a 6-3 7-6 (0) 6-3 win.
“Yes, first of all thanks for staying this long,” Sinner said at 10.01pm.
“First time we play against (each other), so I didn’t know exactly what to expect but tried to handle certain situations better than him. I think I did but he’s an incredible player.
“To come from qualies and play such a high level for as long as he did, I wish him nothing but the best and he should be proud of himself.
“Still, very happy with today’s performance and trying to step up a little bit better every day.”
This best run at a grand slam for Mochizuki occurred after a torrid first half of 2026, where he had won only five matches before he arrived in Nottingham for last month’s ATP Challenger event.
With seven wins on grass to his name this summer and past pedigree at the All England Club, Mochizuki did not appear overawed before his debut on Centre Court and fashioned a break point during Sinner’s first service game.
It sharpened the focus of Sinner, who sealed a tough hold with the first of 15 aces and proceeded to break in the next game when Mochizuki could only send a forehand into the net.
A double fault by Mochizuki brought up set point, which Sinner sealed to move ahead after 33 minutes, but the popularity of the Japanese right-hander had increased thanks to several successful dives at the net.
Mochizuki failed to take an early opportunity to break at the start of set two, but earned a standing ovation when he thwarted Sinner three times to seemingly flip the momentum with a crucial hold for 4-4.
It was followed by a delay at 8.38pm when the roof on Centre Court was shut, with Sinner appearing happiest, and while Mochizuki earned further applause for an ace soon after, a one-sided tie-break followed.
When Sinner delivered another break to begin set three, he could have been forgiven for expecting Mochizuki’s spirit to be broken, but the 23-year-old again had the crowd on their feet and posed with his arms aloft following another dogged hold.
Mochizuki’s big moment arrived in the sixth game of the third set at 15-40 on Sinner’s serve, but the defending champion went clutch with a 131mph ace followed by a deft volley at the net.
Sinner gave his opponents a thumbs-up after Mochizuki’s lung-busting efforts to return resulted in him racing into the other side of the court before the fairytale journey of the qualifier ended when his “celebrity” Italian opponent served up a 44th winner to set up a last-eight tie with Jan-Lennard Struff.
