Alcaraz's Wimbledon win streak reaches 18; Sabalenka gets to another Slam quarterfinal
By HOWARD FENDRICH
Carlos Alcaraz's latest up-and-down Wimbledon performance began with a dropped set. Later Sunday, he was in danger of getting broken to fall further behind in the third. And then, as he so often does, Alcaraz seized the moment, produced some magic and moved closer to a third consecutive title at the All England Club.
Alcaraz stretched his winning streak in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 18 matches — and his current unbeaten run across all events to 22 — by coming back to beat No. 14 seed Andrey Rublev 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 at Centre Court to return to the quarterfinals.
In this fortnight's first matchup between two men ranked in the top 20, No. 2 Alcaraz brought out his best while down 3-2 in the third set. First, he needed to fend off a break chance for Rublev, doing so with a forehand passing winner.
After eventually holding to 3-all, Alcaraz earned his own break opportunity and didn't let Rublev escape. On an eight-stroke exchange, Alcaraz sprinted from one corner of the court to the other and, with a stomp of his right foot and a bit of a slide, he flicked a cross-court forehand winner.
Oh, did he relish that one. Alcaraz spread his arms wide, pointed to his right ear and basked in the crowd's loud adulation, the noise bouncing off the underside of the stadium's closed roof.
Rublev sat in his sideline chair, looked up at his guest box and made a sarcastic 'OK' hand signal. Just 10 minutes later, that set belong to Alcaraz, who will face 2022 semifinalist Cam Norrie — the last British player in singles — on Tuesday for a berth in the final four.
'I always said that it's just about belief in yourself. It doesn't matter that you are one-set-to-love down,' Alcaraz said. 'Tennis is a sport that can change in just one point. One point can change the match completely, turn around everything.'
The 61st-ranked Norrie, who played college tennis at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, advanced with a 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who hit 46 aces. Norrie had a chance to close things out much earlier than he did but failed to convert a match point while ahead 6-5 in the third-set tiebreaker.
The other men's quarterfinal Tuesday will be No. 5 Taylor Fritz vs. No. 17 Karen Khachanov. Fritz, last year's U.S. Open runner-up, had a short day because his opponent, Jordan Thompson, quit after about 40 minutes with back and leg injuries that he'd been dealing with throughout the tournament.
Alcaraz is just 22 and already owns five Grand Slam trophies, the latest arriving in June at the French Open. He hasn't lost a match anywhere since April 20 against Holger Rune in the final at Barcelona.
There have been lapses, of course, including when Alcaraz fell behind by two sets against No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the final at Roland-Garros. Or when the Spaniard lost four points in a row after going up 5-3 in the opening tiebreaker against Rublev.
He hasn't been as close-to-perfect as others over the past week: Sinner, No. 10 Ben Shelton and No. 22 Flavio Cobolli haven't dropped a set heading into their fourth-round contests.
So, sure, Alcaraz has ceded five sets already, but all that matters is that he hasn't lost a match.
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals at her 11th consecutive Grand Slam tournament, defeating No. 24 Elise Mertens 6-4, 7-6 (4), and will play unseeded Laura Siegemund, the 37-year-old German who followed up her elimination of Australian Open champ Madison Keys by beating lucky loser Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova overcame a missed call late in the first set — when the electronic system accidentally was off — and beat Sonay Kartal 7-6 (3), 6-4 to return to the grass-court major's quarterfinals for the first time in nine years. Pavlyuchenkova's opponent Tuesday will be Amanda Anisimova or Linda Noskova.
Monday's fourth-rounders include Novak Djokovic against No. 11 Alex de Minaur at 1:30 p.m. They were supposed to face each other in last year's quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but de Minaur was forced to withdraw with a hip injury. That'll be followed at Centre Court by Mirra Andreeva vs. Emma Navarro, and then Sinner vs. No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Alcaraz finds magic touch at Wimbledon as Sabalenka heads to quarterfinals
Carlos Alcaraz found his best form after a shaky start to beat Andrey Rublev and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Sunday as hot favorite in the women's draw Aryna Sabalenka also progressed. The Spaniard, hunting a third straight title at the All England Club, has taken his fans on an emotional roller-coaster but is into the last eight after a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win. While Alcaraz's main rivals, seven-time winner Novak Djokovic and world number one Jannik Sinner, are in ominous form, the second seed has blown hot and cold so far. He will next face Cameron Norrie, who is the last British player standing at Wimbledon after beating Chile's Nicolas Jarry in five grueling sets. Alcaraz lost three sets across his first three matches and fell behind against Russian 14th seed Rublev under the Centre Court roof. But he turned the match around in style, producing some of his best tennis in front of his adoring fans. "I think I played intelligent and smart today against him, tactically," said the 22-year-old. "A really good match, which I'm really proud about." The five-time Grand Slam champion said he always believes in himself, even when facing adversity. "One point can change the match completely, turn everything around. "In tennis, you have to stay there all the time. Being strong mentally, to stay there. I knew that I was going to play better." Aryna Sabalenka in action during her round of 16 match against Elise Mertens in Wimbledon, London, on Sunday | REUTERS Women's world No. 1 Sabalenka has yet to drop a set in four rounds at the All England Club as every other top-six seed has fallen, but was given a tough workout by Belgian world No. 23 Mertens. The Belarusian came through 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) against her former doubles partner to set up a clash against Germany's Laura Siegemund. The three-time Grand Slam champion is making up for lost time after missing last year's Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury. She was excluded in 2022 as part of a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. "With your support guys I think everything is possible," said Sabalenka, who has never been beyond the semifinals. "I don't know. It's such a beautiful tournament. "I always dreamed of winning it. Every time I'm here I'm trying to give my best and really hope for the best." Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova also progressed at the expense of Britain's Sonay Kartal, but had to mentally reset after a bizarre electronic line-calling failure. At 4-4 in the first set, Pavlyuchenkova held game point when a Kartal backhand landed clearly over the baseline but no call came and the umpire ordered the point be replayed. Kartal went on to break for a 5-4 lead. Pavlyuchenkova angrily made her case to the umpire, saying: "They stole the game from me, they stole it". But she broke back and won the tie-break, which proved a launchpad for a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory. The technology glitch in the fourth-round match follows concerns raised by other players. The All England Club released a brief statement on the incident. "Due to operator error the system was deactivated on the point in question," said an spokesman. "The chair umpire followed the established process." Russia's Karen Khachanov was the first winner of the day, brushing aside Polish player Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Court Two. The 17th seed will face U.S. fifth seed Taylor Fritz, who was only on court for 41 minutes before Australia's Jordan Thompson retired injured, trailing 6-1, 3-0. America's Fritz faced grueling five-set battles in his opening two matches but it was a different story in his fourth-round encounter on Court One. The Eastbourne champion broke Thompson twice to seal the first set in just 21 minutes and led 3-0 in the second set when the Australian decided he could not go on, due to an apparent thigh injury.
Japan Today
6 hours ago
- Japan Today
Harry Wilson's late try saves Australia in 21-18 win over Fiji
Australia's Harry Wilson, wearing a red helmet, celebrates scoring a try against Fiji during their rugby union international match in Newcastle, Australia, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) rugby union A last-gasp try by captain Harry Wilson has salvaged a dramatic 21-18 win for Australia on Sunday in its international season-opener against Fiji. Wilson twisted and spun over from close range after several minutes of the Wallabies pressuring the Fijian line defense to earn a narrow, comeback victory that had appeared unlikely after a stunning Fijian rally. Wilson's try with less than two minutes remaining saved what would have been a difficult two weeks of reflection for the Wallabies ahead of the series-opening test against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19. A spectacular long-range try for Fiji midway through the second half appeared to be enough for the visitors to claim a another famous victory over Australia — the latest being at the 2023 Rugby World Cup — before Wilson's late intervention. After a frantic start from both teams, the Wallabies found the line through hooker Dave Porecki, playing his first test in almost two years since the 2023 World Cup, when he dived over from the back of a rolling maul in the eighth minute. Noah Lolesio added the conversion. The best move of the first half — frequently punctuated by stoppages which stifled any match momentum — led to the Wallabies' second try when a sweeping backline move featuring Len Ikitau and Joseph Suaali'i allowed Fraser McReight to score in the corner. Lolesio again converted to stretch the lead to 14-0. Fullback Salesi Rayasi responded almost immediately for Fiji just before the halftime break, somehow finding space to to wriggle through the defense to score in the corner after his team had counterattacked from an ill-advised chip kick by the Wallabies. The Australians had only needed to maintain possession for a few seconds more to preserve a 14-point margin into the break. Flyhalf Caleb Muntz missed the conversion from the sideline for a 14-5 half-time score. The Wallabies may have dominated the first half, but it was all Fiji in the second. Muntz added a penalty goal after the break to narrow the margin to six points before the match was upended by some vintage Flying Fiji attack. Jiuta Wainiqolo gained possession after broken play inside Fiji's half, the winger then slalomed his way through four defenders in a weaving run before guiding a looping pass for Lekima Tagitagivalu to score and spark jubilant celebrations by the large number of Fiji supporters at Newcastle. Muntz converted to give Fiji a 15-14 lead. The Fijians almost went further ahead, appearing to score another thrilling try down the same right flank but it was overruled by the Television Match Official who found that an Australian player had stepped into touch while in possession in the leadup to the try. Another Muntz penalty goal extended the lead to four points with 14 minutes remaining, and meant Australia needed to score at least a try for victory. The battered Wallabies have two weeks to recover before the much-anticipated first test against the Lions. On Saturday, the Lions maintained their unbeaten record on their Australian tour with a third straight win, but delivered their least convincing performance yet against a depleted New South Wales Waratahs lineup missing most of its Wallabies. The match ended with a hint of controversy, with Lions head coach Andy Farrell suggesting the Allianz Stadium surface had been intentionally over-watered by the Waratahs to disrupt his team's style of play. The Lions have a tour match against Australia's strongest provincial team, the Brumbies, in Canberra on Wednesday. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
7 hours ago
- Japan Today
Lando Norris wins thrilling British Grand Prix in rain to cut Oscar Piastri's F1 lead
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates winning the British Formula One Grand Prix race at the Silverstone racetrack in Silverstone, England, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) auto racing By JAMES ELLINGWORTH Lando Norris survived an incident-packed race in the rain to win Formula 1's British Grand Prix on Sunday and cut the gap to his teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri. Norris won his home race for the first time after Piastri had to serve a 10-second penalty for sharp braking behind the safety car while in the lead. 'This is a dream, winning at home. It's beautiful," Norris told the team over the radio. "Thanks for the memory. I'll remember this more than anything.' He climbed out of the car and celebrated with both arms raised to take in the moment, before hugs with his team and his mother. On the podium, Norris closed his eyes with a smile as the British anthem played. Piastri was unhappy with his penalty, signaling he believed it was a legal move. 'I'm not going to say too much to make myself in trouble,' he added. Piastri had been leading the pack before a restart from safety car conditions and slowed to back up the cars behind, but did it sharply enough that Max Verstappen behind had to swerve to avoid him. Once it became clear Piastri would have to serve the penalty at his next pit stop, Norris made sure the Australian couldn't build a lead to cancel it out. Norris just needed to stay with his teammate and hovered two seconds behind, waiting to inherit the lead. Piastri now leads Norris by eight points overall, cut from 15. In a race with plenty of crashes and spins, Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg was third from 19th on the grid for his first podium finish in his 239th race of an F1 career that began in 2010. His team hadn't finished in the top three since 2012. Verstappen started on pole but ended up fifth after spinning from second behind Piastri at a safety-car restart, briefly dropping to 10th. Smart strategy could win big, like it did for Hulkenberg, or risk everything. George Russell asked the team for slick tires on a slippery track and span off through the gravel a lap later, finishing 10th. It was a rough day for the rookies as Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar crashed into the wall after hitting the back of Kimi Antonelli, saying he couldn't see the Mercedes driver in the rain. Antonelli later retired and fellow rookies Gabriel Bortoleto, Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto all failed to finish too. Oliver Bearman made it to the end for Haas in 11th but crashed into teammate Esteban Ocon along the way. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
