Terrific tweeners and miracle recoveries for Sinner, Alcaraz, a Kiwi qualifier reaches the last eight and injury heartbreak for American Madison Keys.

Here are five quick hits from Wimbledon 2024 day seven.

1. Sinner stuns Court 1 with tweener magic on key point against Shelton

It seems like every player these days practices running back and hitting the perfect tweener, but Jannik Sinner found a new twist on an old favourite on day seven.

Sinner was trying to wrap things up against American Ben Shelton, and having some problems getting it done.

The world number one had come from 4-1 down in the third set — having won the opening two sets — and he was trying to serve out to get back to 5-5.

He ripped a serve wide to Shelton's forehand, and would have thought he was in solid position, but the American left-hander walloped a ball right back at him, jamming the Italian.

Instead of turning his back, Sinner had to manufacture a front-facing tweener — he not only did it, but his inside-out shot caught Shelton on the hop. The American lunged and picked the ball up off his toes, but Sinner stepped in and crushed a cross-court forehand winner that left his opponent flailing.  

As the crowd roared, there was a kind of a sheepish grin from Sinner, as he raised his hand in apology to his American opponent.

Sinner and his point of the day allowed him to hold for 5-5.

Sinner then saved one set point at 6-5 and three more in the tiebreaker before converting his second match point when the hard-serving Shelton double-faulted.

"I'm not the kind of player to have a lot of trick shots. But in this case, it was still the easiest shot," Sinner said after the match, calling it a "lucky shot".

"I didn't have space to go right and left."

Perhaps, but as the old saying goes, the more he practices, the luckier he gets. 

2. Alcaraz falls down, still can't be beaten

If you thought the world number one's shot improvisation was good, can we introduce you to a young Spanish player? Has a great future ahead of him? Name of Alcaraz, Carlos Alcaraz.

Earlier in the day, on Centre Court, the defending men's singles champion was up against Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

Humbert was serving at 4-5 down in the second set, having lost the first 6-3.

It was advantage Alcaraz, giving him set point, so Humbert was desperate to avoid going two sets to love down.

He swung a dipping serve down the "T" which Alcaraz managed to block back with his forehand. A couple of shots later Humbert ripped an off-forehand into the far corner of the court, and the Spanish star slipped and did the splits as he fell on his backside reaching to return it.

Now what? Give up on the point and get ready for the next? No way. Alcaraz popped to his feet, sprinted to his left to get to a backhand wide of the doubles alley, then raced forward to reach a short shot and, eventually, watched his opponent send a volley long.

That allowed Alcaraz to claim the second set of what would become a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 victory against number 16 seed Humbert. The defending champion celebrated the moment by raising his right index finger in a "number one" gesture and shouting "Vamos!" as thousands of spectators rose to salute him.

“Unbelievable, I guess. I just try to fight every every point, every ball," he said afterwards. "It doesn’t matter what part of the court.”

Next up, Alcaraz faces American Tommy Paul, while Sinner will play fifth-seed Daniil Medvedev.

If they both win, we will have a battle of the impossible shots in a Centre Court semifinal.

3. New Zealand's Sun outshines hometown heroine Raducanu

It may not have been the result that home fans wanted, but there was history made as New Zealand qualifier Lulu Sun beat Emma Raducanu on Centre Court. 

Sun eliminated the 2021 US Open champion 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to become the first woman to get through qualifying and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals since 2010, and the first woman from New Zealand to get that far at the All England Club in the Open era, which began in 1968.

Sun, who will now face Croatia's Donna Vekic in the quarterfinals, showed ice-cool composure and unflappable bravery to outplay Raducanu in front of a pumped-up home crowd.

"It was a great match. I really dug deep to get the win," Sun said in a teary on-court interview.

"I really had to fight tooth and nail because she was obviously going to run for every ball and fight until the end. I don't even have the words right now."

Raducanu, who had shown glimpses of her best form over the opening week at the All England Club, looked once again a shadow of the player whose stunning triumph as a qualifier at Flushing Meadows nearly three years ago stunned the sport.

Raducanu seemed unable to build any sustained pressure on the unflappable and indefatigable Sun, whose level rarely dipped below a ferocious intensity.