Alcaraz Advances Solidly at Wimbledon
In a calmer day than expected, the current champion, Carlos Alcaraz, demonstrated his superiority at Wimbledon by defeating Oliver Tarvet, from university tennis, with scores of 6-1, 6-4 and 6-4. After overcoming a complicated start where he saved three break points, Alcaraz found his rhythm and secured his place in the next round. Despite having to face eight additional break opportunities, the triumph was significantly more comfortable than his first-round encounter, which extended for more than four and a half hours against Fabio Fognini.When questioned about his recent streak of successes, including defending his title at Roland Garros and a streak of 20 consecutive victories, the longest of his career, Alcaraz highlighted the importance of enjoying the process, regardless of the outcome. At 22 years old, Alcaraz became the third tennis player in history to achieve 20 or more victories in both the French Open and Wimbledon before turning 23, emulating legends like Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal. In the next round, Alcaraz will face the winner of the match between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jan-Lennard Struff, with his sights set on obtaining his third consecutive title at Wimbledon. The match between Auger-Aliassime and Struff was suspended due to lack of light, as was the match between Arthur Fery and Luciano Darderi. Alcaraz has won over the All England Club audience, although this was the first time he faced a British player in the tournament, which generated a divided atmosphere among the fans.“I love his game, to be honest,” Alcaraz stated, referring to Tarvet. “I knew that at the beginning I had to be very focused and play my best tennis.”
Carlos Alcaraz
For Tarvet, this experience in his first Grand Slam was memorable. After qualifying and defeating Leandro Riedi in the first round, he had the opportunity to play on the center court against the defending champion. Tarvet, a university student, would receive £99,000 for reaching the second round. However, due to NCAA rules, he cannot accept cash prizes that exceed his expenses if he wishes to complete his final season of eligibility.“I know it’s not personal,” Alcaraz commented.
Carlos Alcaraz
In other notable results of the day, Frances Tiafoe was eliminated by Cameron Norrie. Karen Khachanov, seeded number 17, advanced to the third round after defeating Shintaro Mochizuki in a hard-fought five-set match. Andrey Rublev also achieved victory after coming back from a set down against Lloyd Harris. Nuno Borges became the third Portuguese player to reach the third round of Wimbledon in the Open era.“I think I did a good job of enjoying the moment and trying to play good tennis at the same time,” Tarvet said. “I’ve played against very good players before, but not at Alcaraz’s level.”
Oliver Tarvet
