{"id":86599,"date":"2025-07-07T21:40:26","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T01:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=86599"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:40:26","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T01:40:26","slug":"wimbledon-day-8-recap-ben-shelton-youngest-american-man-in-quarterfinals-since-andy-roddick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/07\/wimbledon-day-8-recap-ben-shelton-youngest-american-man-in-quarterfinals-since-andy-roddick\/","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon Day 8 Recap: Ben Shelton Youngest American Man in Quarterfinals Since Andy Roddick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Wimbledon Day 8 Recap: Quarterfinal Spots Locked In with Triumph, Heartbreak, and Breakthroughs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Day 8 at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/category\/wimbledon\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Wimbledon<\/a> brought a mix of triumph and heartbreak as the final quarterfinalists were decided. In the women\u2019s draw, four relatively straightforward matches shaped the next stage of the tournament.<\/p>\n<h3>Women\u2019s Round of 16: Swiatek, Samsonova, Andreeva, and Bencic Advance<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2224012725\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2224012725?et=IHG3MPxuTuhshwASZrQ3ng&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=TFwGhbhq3godsR-Ftqn5CobBRysktbkLPc-hb56MUFc=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The day began with Belinda Bencic reaching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/sports\/tennis\/belinda-bencic-reaches-her-first-wimbledon-quarterfinal-in-ninth-attempt\/ar-AA1I85m1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">her first-ever Wimbledon quarterfinal<\/a>, defeating the higher-ranked Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6, 6-4. Bencic, who became a mother just 15 months ago, is now into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal outside of the US Open.<\/p>\n<p>Liudmila Samsonova followed with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, booking her place in a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal. Still yet to drop a set this tournament, Samsonova must now be considered a legitimate title contender.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2223377337\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 63.636364% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2223377337?et=pR8L_b5zScdFVdFLBIm55w&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=-u7_CjqQF8xhNrlUWsAerbnyQ4mhDhymTdzOSKyptO0=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"378\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another Russian, 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, dominated <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/04\/emma-navarro-wimbledon-title-conversation\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Emma Navarro<\/a> 6-2, 6-3 in a clinical performance. With this result, Andreeva matches Maria Sharapova\u2019s achievement of reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals at age 18, marking a milestone in what is already a remarkable run.<\/p>\n<p>World No. 1 Iga Swiatek rounded out the women\u2019s quarterfinalists with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 victory over Clara Tauson. Swiatek remains one of the tour\u2019s most consistent forces\u2014only Aryna Sabalenka and Swiatek have reached at least the quarterfinals at the last four Grand Slams.<\/p>\n<h3>Men\u2019s Drama: Djokovic Survives, Sinner Advances Through Retirement, Shelton Shines<\/h3>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2223997354\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2223997354?et=jd7jHJOqTvB7BAfqU1IPmg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=o0Al4egaqyjCpqsrv2V_SmYJUigZjh8uPFz2wNJHFPA=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The men\u2019s draw delivered more drama. Flavio Cobolli <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/07\/flavio-cobolli-reaches-first-wimbledon-quarterfinal\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">edged veteran Marin Cilic<\/a> in four sets, reaching his first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal. After a difficult start to the season, the 23-year-old Italian has found his rhythm and will now make his Top 20 debut in the ATP rankings. He joins Jannik Sinner in representing Italy in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n<p>Sinner\u2019s progression, however, came under heartbreaking circumstances. Trailing Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 5-7, 2-2, the Bulgarian was playing arguably one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/07\/07\/grigor-dimitrov-defined-again-in-defeat\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">best matches of his career<\/a> before suffering a torn pectoral muscle. The injury forced him to retire\u2014his fifth straight Grand Slam exit due to physical issues. Sinner moves into the quarterfinals, but serious questions remain about his form after being thoroughly outplayed for most of the match.<\/p>\n<p>Novak Djokovic raised his level after a rough start to defeat Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Djokovic, now with a record 63 Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances, was briefly down 1-4 in the fourth set but rallied with characteristic resolve to avoid a 5th set. Despite the poor first set, he remains a title contender.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2223998593\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.66667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/2223998593?et=lIwGejzRQVhzPnvlixLqLg&amp;tld=com&amp;sig=t6knrU4nxLL2lNDcxyiW22PuNUzKGY4Y1sz2B7RRZ-E=&amp;caption=true&amp;ver=1\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ben Shelton, 22, continued his meteoric rise by reaching his first Wimbledon quarterfinal with father and former pro Byron Shelton <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheTennisLetter\/status\/1942279660668358916\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">watching on<\/a>. In a tightly contested battle, Shelton defeated Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 7-5. He becomes the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SportsCenter\/status\/1942288833258684721\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">youngest American man to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since Andy Roddick<\/a>, who did it at 21 in 2004.<\/p>\n<h3>Looking Ahead: Quarterfinal Showdowns Set<\/h3>\n<p>Shelton now faces Jannik Sinner in a high-stakes showdown, while Novak Djokovic will take on the surging Flavio Cobolli.<\/p>\n<p>On the women\u2019s side, the quarterfinal matchups are now set: Iga Swiatek will meet Liudmila Samsonova, and teenage phenom Mirra Andreeva will battle the experienced Belinda Bencic.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta\/The Desert Sun \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wimbledon Day 8 Recap: Quarterfinal Spots Locked In with Triumph, Heartbreak, and Breakthroughs Day 8 at Wimbledon brought a mix of triumph and heartbreak as the final quarterfinalists were decided. In the women\u2019s draw, four relatively straightforward matches shaped the next stage of the tournament. Women\u2019s Round of 16: Swiatek, Samsonova, Andreeva, and Bencic Advance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1442,"featured_media":58412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2],"tags":[564,1582,266,16662,15670,411,4315,5862,7278,2404,18273,22,21,43094],"class_list":["post-86599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wimbledon","category-featured","tag-alex-de-minaur","tag-andy-roddick","tag-belinda-bencic","tag-ben-shelton","tag-flavio-cobolli","tag-grigor-dimitrov","tag-iga-swiatek","tag-jannik-sinner","tag-liudmila-samsonova","tag-lorenzo-sonego","tag-mirra-andreeva","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-wimbledon","tag-wimbledon-2025"],"modified_by":"Steen Kirby","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86599"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86600,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86599\/revisions\/86600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}