LONDON – Carlos Alcaraz finds himself thrust into his fifth Grand Slam set yet again, this time at Wimbledon, this time against good friend Frances Tiafoe. And as he always does in such situations, despite the problems, Alcaraz rose to the occasion.
Alcaraz avoided a stunning exit and defeated Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 on Friday to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon in a match filled with brilliance over 3 hours. , 50 minutes.
“It is always a big challenge to play against Frances. As I have said many times, she is a talented player. It is difficult to face. And she showed it again,” said Alcaraz. “It was very difficult for me to adapt the game, to find solutions, to try to solve problems. But it was really fun to do it in the end.”
In front of the Central Court crowd that included Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, and in the closed retractable roof that amplified the thuds of rackets-on-balls, grunts and cheers, Alcaraz ranked third. was outplayed for a stretch by No. 29 Tiafoe.
But Alcaraz was better at the business end and improved to 12-1 in her new career in fifth sets – including victories in the semi-finals and final at the French Open after losing 2-1 in sets for the title last month. . Tiafoe fell to 6-13 in five setters.
Tiafoe was unable to pull off what would have been a stunning victory for a man who arrived at Wimbledon with a sprained ligament in his right knee and a losing record this season.
Sure gets closer, though.
The 26-year-old American is two points away from getting a chance to serve to win, asking for love-30 in Alcaraz who serves at 4-all in the fourth set. But Alcaraz held firm and claimed the next four points, capped by an ace at 130 mph (210 kph).
Alcaraz then dominated the next tiebreaker, taking a 5-0 lead.
“I served (in) a lot of tough times in the fourth set. … All I wanted to do was: ‘OK, fight one more ball, one more ball.’ Think about the next point,” Alcaraz said. “And obviously in the tiebreak, I always tell myself that I have to work hard. If I lose, I lose, but I have to feel that I’m going to keep going.”
The last set presents one-way traffic. Tiafoe held the opening game, but that’s pretty much it. At 1-all, Alcaraz got the last break he would need by smacking a cross-court backhand passing shot that Tiafoe let fly by; the ball lands right on the baseline, sprinkle a bit of chalk.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 12 Tommy Paul won their third-round matches on Friday.
Dimitrov defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, while Paul dispatched Alexander Bublik in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Most of the attention is on Alcaraz and Tiafoe, two who are known to put on a show. Alcaraz sent on-the-run, back-to-the-net tweeners and pointed to the ear to ask the audience for more noise; Tiafoe also interacted with the fans, waving to get louder.
These two good-naturedly traded some light trash talk when they knew they would face each other, and they hugged and chatted on the net when it was over.
Tiafoe stopped playing during last month’s match at the Queen’s Club event after injuring his knee, and is just 13-14 in 2024 before Wimbledon, with some of those losses coming against players he called “clowns,” without naming names.
After Tiafoe, who wears a black sleeve over his right knee, jumped up and down on the ground several times Friday, Alcaraz walked around the net to the other side of the court to check on him or offer a hand to help him. to his feet.
There was the kind of long, drawn-out exchange that took place at Flushing Meadows less than two years ago — when Alcaraz beat Tiafoe in five sets in the US Open semifinals — mostly because of the faster grass. to end a point quickly. However, there were plenty of shared strengths, including a 22-stroke point that Alcaraz won to help her lead 4-2 in the first set.
Tiafoe broke right back and soon had a set. Alcaraz justified himself in the second. Then it was Tiafoe’s turn to play better in the third. And, finally, it was Alcaraz who appeared.
Alcaraz will now go on to pursue his second consecutive All England Club title and fourth Grand Slam trophy overall, including a last-gasp victory in Paris that made the 21-year-old Spaniard the youngest man to win majors on all three surfaces. .
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.