The Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcarazcurrent champion of Wimbledonneeded five sets this Friday to advance to the third round of the London tournament, beating American Frances Tiafoe in five sets, 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (2) and 6-2.
His passage to the round of 16 contrasted with the ease with which the world No. 1 advanced Jannik Sinnerwho defeated Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (No. 52) in three sets, 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2, or the American Coco Gauff (N.3), one of the big favourites in the women’s draw, who only lost four games (6-4, 6-0) in her victory over local Sonay Kartal.
Alcaraz (3rd in the world) and Tiafoe (29th) relived the semi-final of the 2022 US Open, where the Spaniard also won in five sets, a prelude to his first Grand Slam title.
“Carlitos” had many ups and downs in a match that lasted almost four hours, reaching a point where he was 2 sets to 1 down and with Tiafoe missing a break opportunity that would have put him 5-4 and serving to win the match.
The Spaniard reacted, won the fourth set and forced a fifth, where, as usual, he emerged victorious, to continue his aspiration to become the sixth tennis player in history to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season.
The process for the American was not as dramatic Coco Gauffnumber 2 in the women’s ranking, who logically beat (6-4, 6-0) the British Sonay Kartal (298th).
The 2023 US Open champion became largely known for her performance at Wimbledon in 2019, where she beat Venus Williams in the first round when she was just 15 years old. She reached the round of 16 at that edition, as she did in 2021, but never managed to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Club, where she even went out in the first round last year.
The Bulgarian did not have too many complications in advancing to the round of 16 either. Grigor Dimitrov (10th), who defeated the veteran French player Gael Monfils (33rd) 6-3, 6-4 and 6-3.
Another of the most significant results of the day was achieved by the Spanish Paula Badosaformer world number 2 currently fallen to 93rd place due to physical problems in recent seasons, who defeated Russian Daria Kasatkina (12th) by 7-6 (6), 4-6 and 6-4.
The Catalan tennis player, born in New York 26 years ago, has thus reached the round of 16 at the London Grand Slam for the third time in her career, after the 2021 and 2022 editions. She has never managed to get past that round.
The only time she has made it past the round of 16 at a Grand Slam was at Roland Garros in 2021, where she reached the quarter-finals.
Friday’s victory has symbolic value for Badosa, who has not made it this far in a Grand Slam since the last time she managed to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon, two years ago.
Source: Ambito
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