Alcaraz muscles past Fritz to reach Wimbledon final
Eyeing a sixth Grand Slam title, the Spaniard was eventually too strong for the metronomically consistent Fritz, whose biggest weapons were still not damaging enough to unsettle the second seed under a fiery sun on Centre Court.
Alcaraz's victory set the stage for a tantalising final against either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, who will duel it out in the second semi-final on Friday.
Fritz broke Alcaraz for the first and only occasion to take the second set as the Spaniard's intensity levels dropped, but the champion quickly regained the upper hand, breaking twice in the third set and coming through a tense tiebreak to clinch victory.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Khaleej Times
British Open could return to Donald Trump's Turnberry course
British Open organisers the Royal and Ancient (R&A) refused to rule out a return to US President Donald Trump's Turnberry course if infrastructure challenges were overcome. The Scottish course, which was bought by Trump in 2014, has not hosted the only major outside the US since 2012. In the wake of the storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters in January 2021, the R&A said the British Open would not return to Turnberry until "the focus will be on the championship" rather than the course's proprietor. Mark Darbon, new chief executive of the R&A, straight-batted the prospect of awarding Turnberry the championship until significant upgrades are made around the course on Scotland's west coast. "We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there," Darbon told a press conference ahead of the 153rd British Open, which begins at Royal Portrush on Thursday. "You see the scale of their setup here and we've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. "We've explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we'd need to address those logistical challenges should we return." Darbon revealed he had a meeting earlier in the year with Trump's son, Eric, but said no pressure had been put on by the British government to fast track Turnberry's return to the Open Championship rotation. "We've spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they've made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us," he added on government involvement. "I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry. We had a really good discussion. "I think they understand clearly where we're coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we've got a good dialogue with them." A return to Turnberry is highly unlikely before Trump's second term as president comes to an end in early 2029. The next two British Opens will be held at Birkdale and St. Andrews respectively, with a venue for 2028 to be confirmed early next year. There could also be an addition to the current rota of 10 venues with the possibility the British Open could be played in the Republic of Ireland for the first time at Portmarnock, near Dublin. "Yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock," added Darbon. "We think it's a wonderful links golf course and we've been really encouraged by the support that we've had in principle from the Irish government to work with us to understand whether we could stage an Open Championship there in the future. "We're knee deep in feasibility work to help us answer that question fully. We expect to have a clearer picture by the back end of this year."
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Defending champions Sinner and Sabalenka lead entry lists for the US Open
Defending champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, who both top the tennis rankings, led 10 former winners of the US Open who were on the entry lists for this year's tournament that were announced Tuesday. The fields include 18 past Grand Slam singles champions, the US Tennis Association said. Direct entry into the final major tournament of the tennis season was based on the rankings through July 14. The cutoff was at No. 101 for the men and No. 99 for the women. Sinner earned his fourth Grand Slam title when he beat No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Sabalenka lost in the semifinals to Amanda Anisimova, who at No. 7 is one of four American women ranked in the top 8. Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her round of 16 match against Belgium's Elise Mertens at the Wimbledon. Reuters The US led all countries with 30 players (16 women, 14 men) earning direct entry. Players who used a special or protected ranking to qualify included Nick Kyrgios, Petra Kvitova and Sorana Cirstea. Play in the main draw begins Aug. 24. Associated Press
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Spanish star Badosa faces another spell on sidelines after fresh back injury
Paula Badosa said she will be out of action for a few weeks due to another back injury, leaving the world number 10 in a race to be fit for next month's US Open. The Spanish former world number two has worked her way back into the top 10 this year after a string of injuries, including a chronic lower back issue, had left her contemplating retirement. Badosa lost 6-2 3-6 6-4 to Katie Boulter in the first round of Wimbledon earlier this month, and in a statement on Monday said she had suffered a tear in her psoas, the muscle which connects the lower back to the top of the leg. "These are really challenging times for me but I'm staying hopeful that things will turn around soon and the light at the end of the tunnel will start to shine through," Badosa said, adding that the injury had occurred before Wimbledon. Badosa is scheduled to play alongside Stefanos Tsitsipas in the US Open's revamped mixed doubles event, which will take place a week before the August 24 to September 7 singles main draw.
