Alcaraz, Sinner sail on to Last 16

MANILA, Philippines — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated close friend Frances Tiafoe in a roller-coaster five sets to reach the Wimbledon Last 16 on Friday as Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff breezed through.

Alcaraz won, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, on the back of 16 aces in his 55 winners in a Centre Court thriller that stretched to the best part of four hours

“Always a big challenge playing against Frances,” admitted Alcaraz, who was also pushed to five sets by the American in the semifinals of the 2022 US Open.

Alcaraz, who is bidding to become only the sixth man to capture the French Open and Wimbledon titles back-to-back, has now reached the Last 16 of a Slam for the 10th time.

World number one Sinner needed just 96 minutes to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Australian Open champion Sinner, a beaten semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2023, will next face either Canada’s Denis Shapovalov or Ben Shelton of the United States.

Women’s world No. 2 Gauff ended the run of British qualifier Sonay Kartal, who had defied her humble ranking of 298 to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time.

Gauff won, 6-4, 6-0, allowing her opponent just eight points in the second set.

Emma Raducanu reached the Last 16 of a major for the first time since her 2021 US Open triumph. The 21-year-old British star defeated ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece, 6-2, 6-3.