Carlos Alcaraz close to his third consecutive title at Wimbledon
The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is one victory away from winning his third consecutive Wimbledon championship and his sixth Grand Slam title at the age of 22, after defeating Taylor Fritz with scores of 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) this Friday.
Alcaraz, seeded number 2, reaches Sunday’s final with a streak of 24 consecutive victories. He will face the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner (number 1) and Novak Djokovic, who has won 24 Grand Slam titles.
In the 2023 and 2024 finals at the All England Club, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic. Furthermore, he has a 5-0 record in major tournament finals, including a five-set victory over Sinner at Roland Garros a month ago.
Fritz, who was runner-up against Sinner at last year’s US Open, was looking to become the first American man to reach the Wimbledon final since Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer in 2009.
Fritz had two opportunities to force a fifth set against Alcaraz, leading 6-4 in the tiebreak. However, Alcaraz achieved the next four points to secure the victory, celebrating with arms outstretched and a shout.
Fritz proved to be a complicated rival, accumulating more total points than Alcaraz in the first two sets and finishing the match with more winners (44 against 38) and 19 aces compared to Alcaraz’s 13.
After Alcaraz double-faulted and missed a forehand, losing the second set, the tie remained at one set apiece.
With the presence of Bjorn Borg, five-time Wimbledon champion, and celebrities like Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio, Alcaraz recovered quickly, celebrating his best shots with a “Vamos!” or raising his index finger. He did not face break points in the rest of the match and managed to break Fritz’s serve twice in the third set.
Even when Fritz had opportunities to react, Alcaraz was prepared. In the first game of the fourth set, Alcaraz made two forehand errors, giving Fritz a 0-30 lead. However, Alcaraz responded with four consecutive points, including a 134 mph ace and a 135 mph service winner.
In the midst of the tiebreak tension, Fritz took a moment to carefully lift a butterfly from the grass. Then, he managed five points in a row, getting closer to the possibility of a fifth set. But Alcaraz didn’t allow Fritz to advance further, forcing four errors.
The temperature exceeded 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius), with no clouds to offer shade. For the second consecutive day, there were problems for the spectators due to the heat; there were two brief interruptions in a second-set game while fans were being assisted.
At the beginning, the sound of a champagne cork was heard in the stands, and the Spaniard started strongly, taking 10 of the first 12 points, including a break to lead 1-0. That game showed why Alcaraz is so exceptional. The first point was illustrative: he returned a serve at 135 mph and then finished a 10-stroke exchange with a delicate drop shot.
Then, a winning forehand arrived and a good return that forced a response at the net from Fritz. A return of a 128 mph serve that touched the line resulted in a winning shot at the net for the break.
Alcaraz managed to overcome Fritz on serve, with six aces and winning 20 of his 24 service points, reaching 137 mph. He won the point on all three serve-and-volley attempts, including a perfect volley. In the end, Alcaraz had a 31-41 record when he went to the net.
Fritz also played exceptionally well, with a level that would have been enough to beat most opponents on grass.
As everyone knows, Alcaraz is not just any opponent.
