Alcaraz subdues Fritz to reach third successive Wimbledon final
With Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio watching from the stands, Alcaraz survived a titanic clash lasting two hours and 49 minutes in searing temperatures on Centre Court.
As the mercury rose close to 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), play was interrupted by several fans taken ill, but Alcaraz kept his cool to subdue the big-serving Fritz with his sublime returns and immaculate serving of his own.
The 22-year-old will play seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or world number one Jannik Sinner in Sunday's final.
Alcaraz has beaten Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals and holds an 8-4 edge over Sinner in their 12 meetings.
Back to his best after an inconsistent start to the tournament, the world number two looks in the mood to extend his reign at the All England Club.
The five-time Grand Slam champion is on a career-best 24-match winning streak since losing to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final in April.
That blistering run has brought him an epic French Open final triumph against Sinner and titles in Rome, Monte Carlo and at Queen's Club.
He has won 35 of his 38 matches on grass, a golden spell including 20 successive victories at Wimbledon since losing to Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.
He is the second Spanish man to reach the Wimbledon final on three occasions, after five-time finalist Rafael Nadal.
- Nerveless Alcaraz -
Alcaraz is one win away from becoming the fifth man in the Open era to clinch three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
He can also become the second-youngest player in the Open era to win six men's Grand Slam titles after Borg reached that mark at Wimbledon in 1978 aged 22.
Fritz fell short in his bid to reach a second Grand Slam final.
The 27-year-old, a US Open runner-up last year, made a gutsy effort, but Alcaraz had won both their previous meetings and he wasted no time seizing control again.
Although grass-court specialist Fritz had slammed 95 aces on route to his first Wimbledon semifinal, Alcaraz's returning prowess neutralised that weapon to secure a break in the first game of the match.
Alcaraz needed his eye checked midway through the set, but there was no loss of focus from the Spaniard as he held serve to take the opener.
Having dropped just four of 24 points on his serve in the first set, the Spaniard found himself under fire in the second.
Fritz pounced on a rare sloppy game from Alcaraz to take the set when the Spaniard produced an ill-timed double-fault and two costly unforced errors.
The nerveless Alcaraz was unfazed by that threat and quickly regained the momentum, running Fritz ragged with a deft drop-shot followed by a perfect lob to break in the third game of the third set.
With Alcaraz's serve virtually flawless, he added another break for good measure to secure a two sets to one lead.
In a dramatic fourth set tie-break, Fritz went from 4-1 down to 6-4 up, only for Alcaraz to save both set points.
Alcaraz scented victory and one last flurry of piercing ground-strokes secured his latest final berth.
— AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
15 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Swiatek runs riot to lift her maiden Wimbledon title with double bagel over Anisimova
London: Poland's Iga Swiatek decimated America's Amanda Anisimova in a one-sided final to lift her first Wimbledon title at the All England Club on Saturday, making her a Grand Slam champion on all surfaces. In the final comprehensively dominated by the 24-year-old, Swiatek completed a double bagel with a 6-0, 6-0 win over the American in a contest that lasted for 57 minutes. Swiatek became the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland in the Open Era. She also celebrated her 100th career Grand Slam match win. At the end of the one-sided final, Swiatek, who maintained her flawless run in the Grand Slam finals, soaked in ecstacy while Anisimova was overwhelmed by tears. Swiatek became the first woman to stand triumphant in all six of her first Grand Slam finals since Monica Seles in 1992. "I'll always remember the sound of champagne bottles popping during serves, it is a sound that will keep me up at night! There's no tournament like this. I was always anxious because of that, because walking around Centre Court felt like huge pressure and a bit too much. But I really enjoyed it this year and improved my game enough to feel comfortable here," Swiatek said after the win, as quoted from Sky Sports. Signs of struggle immediately appeared all over the wall after Anisimova's tame forehand crashed into the net, allowing Swiatek to break the serve in an instant. She struggled to find rhythm and overcooked her backhand shots as Swiatek took control of the entire contest and hardly showed clemency. Swiatek tantalised Anisimova with the depth of her strokes and brute power and cruised to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Anisimova struggled to calm her dwindling nerves as the Polish star sealed the opening set with a 6-0 win without breaking a sweat. In the second set, the American exuded energy and came out swinging with powerful strokes. She produced a 90mph forehand winner but failed to translate it on the scoreboard. Despite finding a second wind, she faltered against Swiatek's precision and accuracy. Unforced errors continued to haunt Anisimova. After another wild forehand in the second game, her unforced error tally soared to 18. The American continued to miss the mark while Swiatek inched closer towards her maiden Wimbledon title. Anisimova finished with 28 unforced errors as the Polish star produced a lethal backhand winner to complete a double bagel. "You're such an incredible player, it showed today, you've been such an inspiration to me, an unbelievable athlete. You've had an incredible two weeks, getting to your first final here and winning, it's so special, so congratulations to you and your team," Anisimova said after the game. "Thank you to everybody who has supported me, it's been an incredible atmosphere, you guys have carried me through this championship. Even though I ran out of gas a bit today and wish I could put on a better performance, you guys have lifted me up today," she concluded.
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Sinner mauls Djokovic to reach first Wimbledon final
LONDON: Jannik Sinner crushed Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-finals to set up the latest instalment of his gripping rivalry with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's final. The world number one is through to his fourth successive Grand Slam title match — and his first at the All England Club — after a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 demolition on Centre Court on Friday. The 23-year-old will be desperate to avenge his painful French Open defeat against world number two Alcaraz after squandering three championship points in last month's epic Roland Garros final. Sinner and Alcaraz are the undisputed new kings of men's tennis, claiming the past six majors between them. Defeat on a baking Centre Court means seven-time champion Djokovic, who was apparently not 100 per cent fit, must wait for another shot at a record 25th Grand Slam title. It is the first time he has failed to reach the Wimbledon final since 2017 and he has come up short in his bid to equal Roger Federer's men's record of eight Wimbledon titles. "It's a tournament I always watched when I was young on the television and I would have never imagined that I can play here, you know in the finals, so it was amazing," said Sinner. "From my side, I served very well today, I felt great on court, I was moving really well today. "We saw in the third set that he was a bit injured. He's been in a very difficult situation but I tried to stay calm, to play the best tennis I can." Italy's Sinner was still wearing a white protective sleeve after injuring his elbow in a nasty fall against Grigor Dimitrov in his fourth-round match. Djokovic also came into the contest, watched by Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, with questions over his fitness after tumbling to the turf late in his quarter-final victory against Flavio Cobolli. Top seed Sinner broke Djokovic in the third game, unleashing a barrage of relentlessly accurate groundstrokes to wear the sixth seed down. The Serb, 38, wilted under the onslaught in the ninth game as Sinner converted his third set point. Sinner did not let up at the start of the second set, breaking for a 2-0 lead to tighten his grip on the match. DJOKOVIC STRUGGLES Djokovic was struggling to gain a foothold but held for 3-1 to roars from the crowd, desperate to witness a classic battle. Chants of "Nole" rang around the stadium as fans tried to lift Djokovic but he was powerless to prevent Sinner opening up a 5-2 lead. He saved a set point on his own serve but that merely delayed the inevitable as Sinner wrapped up the set with only 69 minutes on the clock. Djokovic received treatment from the trainer between sets on the upper part of his left leg, apparently on the area he hurt in the match against Cobolli. He broke for the first time in the match as he suddenly found a new gear, but was pegged back to 3-2 and roared in frustration at the changeover. Struggling physically, Djokovic was broken again as Sinner sealed victory with his fourth match point. Sinner, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, returned from a doping ban in May, losing the Italian Open final to Alcaraz before his collapse in the Roland Garros showpiece. Now he has chance for revenge against the man who has won the past two Wimbledon titles and is the current top dog on grass. "It is a huge honour for me to share the court once again with Carlos," he said. "We try to push ourselves to the limit, he is for sure one of the players I look up to. "I love watching him, I think you all guys agree on that, what kind of talent he is but hopefully it's going to be a good match like the last one." Sinner trails 8-4 in their head to head meetings, losing the past five matches. The Italian can take heart from beating Alcaraz in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2022, his rival's last defeat at the All England Club. — AFP
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Swiatek destroys Anisimova to win first Wimbledon title
LONDON: Iga Swiatek demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the most one-sided women's Wimbledon final for 114 years to win her sixth Grand Slam title on Saturday. The Polish eighth seed, who has now won all six major finals in which she has competed, was in charge from the first point and wrapped up victory in just 57 minutes. It is the first time a woman has won a final at Wimbledon without dropping a game since 1911. And Swiatek, 24, is just the second player in the Open era to win a major title without losing a game in the final after Steffi Graf beat Natalia Zvereva at the 1988 French Open. "It seems super surreal," said Swiatek, who is the first Wimbledon singles champion from Poland in the Open era. "I didn't even dream, for me it was way too far. I feel like I am already an experienced player after winning the Slams before but I never expected this one. "This year I really, really enjoyed it and feel I improved my form here. "I am always going to remember the opening of champagne bottles between serves. It is a sound that will keep me awake at night." Swiatek, who reached the final of the grass-court tournament at Bad Homburg two weeks ago, has looked increasingly strong while the top seeds tumbled at the All England Club. She lost just one set in her run to the final. Winner Poland's Iga Swiatek poses with the trophy alongside runner-up Amanda Anisimova of the US after the women's singles final. — Reuters US 13th seed Anisimova was expected to prove a stern test after ousting world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, but Swiatek performed a brutal demolition job. Anisimova made a nervous start in hot conditions on Centre Court, with Catherine, Princess of Wales, watching from the Royal Box. She was broken in the first game, soon slipping 2-0 behind and the signs looked ominous. The American appeared to have found her feet in her next service game but the merciless Swiatek refused to give ground and recovered to move 3-0 ahead when Anisimova double-faulted. At 4-0 down Anisimova was facing a first-set wipe-out but she was powerless to halt the rampant Swiatek, who sealed the first set 6-0 in just 25 minutes. The American won just six points on her serve in the first set and committed 14 unforced errors. An increasingly desperate Anisimova could not stem the tide in the second set, double-faulting again in the third game to give her opponent game point and then netting a backhand. The crowd got behind her but to no avail as Swiatek kept up her level, serving out to win and celebrating before consoling her devastated opponent. Swiatek is Wimbledon's eighth consecutive first-time women's champion since Serena Williams won her seventh and final title at the All England Club in 2016. The distraught Anisimova left court briefly before returning for the trophy presentation. She broke down in tears again during her speech on court. "You're such an incredible player and it obviously showed today," she said, addressing Swiatek. "You've been such an inspiration to me. You've had such an incredible two weeks here. Getting to your first Wimbledon final here and winning is so special." — AFP
