Image: (APA/AFP/ADRIAN DENNIS)
The world number one Alcaraz defeated the Dane Holger Rune in the duel of the most promising players of the new tennis generation 7: 6 (3), 6: 4, 6: 4. Medvedev, meanwhile, ended Christopher Eubanks’ triumphal march. The number three from Russia prevailed in five sets in 6:4,1:6,4:6,7:6(4),6:1 against the US surprise man.
Alcaraz, 20, is the youngest Wimbledon semi-finalist since potential final opponent Novak Djokovic got that far in 2007. The Serb meets Jannik Sinner from Italy in the second semi-final. Alcaraz needed 2:23 hours against Rune, who was only six days older. “To get so far here is a dream. I played at a very good level, I didn’t expect that on this surface,” said Alcaraz.
The former doubles partners when they were boys fought a duel at eye level. Rune thrilled the audience around British Queen Camilla with spectacular shots, but Alcaraz won the decisive points. For example, the Spaniard used the only breakball in the second set to make it 2-0 and was ultimately the more mature player in the first Wimbledon quarter-finals ever for two under-21s in the professional era.
Medvedev had to go through a trough of emotions for his semi-final premiere. Eubanks, who had recently eliminated a big number with Stefanos Tsitsipas, went all out again for the next sensation. The 2.01 meter tall Schlaks, who had previously celebrated nine wins in Wimbledon in a row, beat 74 winners. But he also made 55 unforced errors.
This is contrasted by Medvedev’s record, who made just 13 unforced errors in 52 winners in three hours of play. After a period of weakness in the meantime, he found his way back to the form of the first set at the decisive moment. After winning the tiebreak in the fourth set, Eubanks’ resistance was broken.
Source: Nachrichten
