The Latest: Djokovic reaches 7th Wimbledon final

Jul 9, 2021 | 11:56 AM

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The Latest on Wimbledon (all times local):

7:25 p.m.

Novak Djokovic is into his seventh Wimbledon final.

The top-ranked Serb outplayed No. 10-seeded Denis Shapovalov on the key points to win their semifinal 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5.

The two-time defending champion will face No. 7 Matteo Berrettini in Sunday’s final.

Shapovalov repeatedly put pressure on Djokovic but faltered at the crucial moments. He failed to serve out the first set at 5-3 and then double-faulted on set point in the tiebreaker.

Djokovic saved all five break points he faced in the second set before Shapovalov double-faulted again to hand him a 6-5 lead.

Djokovic broke again for 6-5 in the third set and served out the match at love.

A seventh final at the All England Club ties Djokovic for second on the all-time list, equaling Boris Becker, Arthur Gore and Pete Sampras. Roger Federer has played in 12 Wimbledon finals, winning eight.

Djokovic has five Wimbledon titles.

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4:45 p.m.

The Duke of Kent is stepping down as president of the All England Club after more than 50 years in the role.

The club said this Wimbledon would be the last for the duke, who became president in 1969. That year he presented the trophies to Rod Laver and Ann Jones

The 85-year-old duke, also known as Prince Edward, is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and regularly sits in the Royal Box on Centre Court during matches.

He said that “to have seen this tournament, and the game of tennis, grow and inspire generations over the span of five decades has been an extraordinary experience, and I am incredibly proud to have been part of it.”

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4:15 p.m.

Matteo Berrettini has become the first Italian man to reach the Wimbledon final after beating Hubert Hurkacz in four sets.

The seventh-seeded Berrettini used his big serve and powerful forehand to win 6-3, 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

Berrettini won 11 straight games from 3-2 down in the first set, taking full advantage of a shaky performance from the 14th-seeded Hurkacz. The Polish player beat Roger Federer in straight sets in the quarterfinals but didn’t hit a single groundstroke winner against Berrettini until midway through the third set.

Hurkacz recovered to win the third-set tiebreaker, only to be broken in the opening game of the fourth.

The last Italian man to reach any Grand Slam final was Adriano Panatta, who won the French Open in 1976.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic was playing No. 10 Denis Shapovalov in the second semifinal.

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3:40 p.m.

ESPN and the BBC have extended their agreements with the All England Club for Wimbledon broadcasting rights.

ESPN said it signed a 12-year extension to continue showing the grass-court Grand Slam through 2035.

The BBC signed a three-year extension for domestic broadcasting rights in Britain through 2027. Financial details of the deals were not disclosed.

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1 p.m.

Novak Djokovic will try to reach his seventh Wimbledon final when he plays No. 10 Denis Shapovalov of Canada on Centre Court.

That would put Djokovic tied for second on the all-time list, equaling Boris Becker, Arthur Gore and Pete Sampras. Roger Federer has played in 12 Wimbledon finals, winning eight. Djokovic has five Wimbledon titles.

The other three semifinalists are playing in the last four at the All England Club for the first time.

In the early match, No. 7 seed Matteo Berrettini of Italy takes on No. 14 Hubert Hurkacz of Poland. Both are trying to become the first man from their country to reach the Wimbledon final.

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The Associated Press