The defending Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz comes back to defeat Frances Tiafoe in the third round
The defending Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz has come back to beat Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2 7, 4-6, 5-7 (2) and 6-2 to make it to into the final four.
By Howard Fendrich | The Associated Press
Carlos Alcaraz found himself pushed to a Grand Slam fifth set again, this time at Wimbledon , this time against good pal Frances Tiafoe. And as he usually does under such circumstances, no matter how much trouble he might have been in, Alcaraz surged to the finish.
Alcaraz was able to avoid a shock loss and swept past Tiafoe 7-5, 6-2, 7-6, 4-6 (2) 6-1 on Friday to advance to the Wimbledon’s fourth round. It was a thrilling match that featured amazing moments of brilliance as well as the occurrence of a variety of tempo swings throughout its three hours and fifty minutes.
“It’s always a task to play against Frances. As I’ve stated numerous times, he’s an extremely skilled player. Very difficult to take on. He did it time,” Alcaraz said. “It was extremely hard for me to adjust my style of play, to come up with ways to get him into trouble. I was really pleased to have done it successfully in the final.”
In the midst of the Centre Court crowd that included Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, and under an enclosed retractable roof which amplified the thuds rackets-on-balls, cheers and grunts the third seeded Alcaraz was defeated for a long time by the No. 29 Tiafoe.
However, Alcaraz did better in the final set and climbed to 12-1 during his debut career, which he won in fifth sets, including wins in the final and semifinals of the French Open after being down by 2-1 in sets to the title in the month of June. Tiafoe dropped down to 6-13 after five sets.
Tiafoe could not win what could be a surprise win for a player who came to Wimbledon with a ligament injury on his left knee as well as an unbeaten record in the current season.
Sure was close, however.
the 26-year old American was just two points from being in position to play for victory when he reached love-30 on his serve at 4-4 during the 4th set. However, Alcaraz held his head and took his next 4 points followed by an ace of 130 (210 kph). (210 km/h).
He then won the tiebreaker, taking a 5-0 advantage.
“I was a part of (at) many difficult moments in the final set. … The only thing I was thinking was”OK fighting one more ball, one more. Then I thought about the next set,” Alcaraz said. “And clearly, in the break, I constantly affirm to myself that I need to be ready. If I don’t and I do, then I’m out however, I must be able to feel like I did it every time.”
The final set was an additional one-way flow. Tiafoe played well in the first game, but it was all it was. In the first half, Alcaraz got the last break he’d need by hitting a crosscourt backhand shot from the side which Tiafoe allowed to fly past the ball, which landed on the line, splattering the chalk.
Other players who made it to the fourth round who won on a rainy afternoon were French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini and No. 19 Emma Navarro — the American who beat Naomi Osaka earlier in the week — and the 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys in the women’s section, as well as No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 12 Tommy Paul in the men’s.
The spotlight was centered concentrated on Alcaraz and Tiafoe who are known for their shows. Alcaraz performed on-the-run, back to the net teenagers and pointed his ear to request fans to make more noise. Tiafoe engaged with the crowd and waved to them to increase the volume.
Two good-natured people exchanged small rants as they learned they would be facing one another, and they embraced and chatted on the internet after the show was done.
Tiafoe was not playing in an event last month at the Queen’s Club event after hurting his knee. He was 13-14 years old prior to Wimbledon in 2024, with a few of those losses being against opponents he described by the name of “clowns,” without naming names.
After Tiafoe was wearing the black sleeve around the right side of his knee fell and fell to the ground several times on Friday, Alcaraz strolled through the net towards the opposite side to see if he was okay or to offer a hand assist him to get back on his feet.
There was a lull in the types of lengthy, long exchanges that they had at Flushing Meadows more than a year agothe time when Alcaraz defeated Tiafoe in a five-set match during the U.S. Open semifinals -mostly due to the more speedy grass that can end points fast. However, there was plenty of shared excellence with a 22-stroke match which Alcaraz took to lead 4-2 in the opening set.
Tiafoe was able to break back right away and was soon in control of the set. Alcaraz made amends during the 2nd. It was then Tiafoe’s turn to perform better on the final. In the end It was Alcaraz who came out.
In the present, Alcaraz will be pursuing another consecutive win in the All England Club and his fourth Grand Slam trophy overall, which includes the most recent victory in Paris that made the 21-year old Spaniard the youngest player to win a major title over all 3 surfaces.
Copyright AP – Associated Press