Alcaraz reaches Wimbledon final for third consecutive year

(Dan Tri) - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his third consecutive Wimbledon final after he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) on center court on the night of July 11.

Alcaraz won 88 percent of his first-serve points in the two-hour, 48-minute match, despite being pushed into a tight spot at times. The Spaniard had a moment of unsteadiness late in the second set, but came back strongly in the third, overcoming the fifth seed with power and consistency from the baseline.

Alcaraz saved two set points in the fourth-set tie-break and won four straight points to seal the win. He is aiming to become the fifth player to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles. With a career-best 24-match winning streak, Alcaraz is also aiming to match Bjorn Borg, the only man in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in three consecutive years (1978-1980).

Alcaraz played strongly against Fritz (Photo: Getty).

Alcaraz's opponent in the Grand Slam final will be either world number one Jannik Sinner or seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic. Last month, Alcaraz saved three championship points to beat Sinner in a five-hour, 29-minute Roland Garros final, improving his head-to-head record against the Italian to 8-4. Alcaraz is 3-5 against Djokovic, whom he has beaten in his last two Wimbledon finals.

Fritz has won two five-set matches en route to his second Grand Slam semi-final. The American is aiming to become the first American man to reach the Wimbledon final since Andy Roddick in 2009. The 27-year-old won 80 percent of his first-serve points against Alcaraz but struggled to dominate the second seed's serve. Alcaraz controlled the game from the baseline, using a combination of clever drop shots and powerful second serves to keep Fritz off balance.

The American looked ready to force a fifth set when he led 6-4 in the tie-break. However, Alcaraz stepped up his game at the crucial moment. The Spaniard saved the first set point with a forehand volley and the second when Fritz hit a forehand wide. Alcaraz sealed the win on the first match point, leading Fritz 3-0 in the pair's first-ever meeting on grass.

Alcaraz puts a cold towel on his head to cool down as the weather at the center court is quite hot (Photo: Getty).

Although Alcaraz failed to overtake Sinner for the world No. 1 ranking after Wimbledon, he is 2,660 points ahead of the Italian in the ATP's live rankings for the year, which indicate who will win the year's number one title.

After a hard-fought five-set win over Fabio Fognini in the opening round, Alcaraz gradually found his rhythm in London, eliminating Andrey Rublev in the fourth round and defeating British left-hander Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals.

Celebrities Leonardo DiCaprio, Rami Malek, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Ford and Anna Wintour were among those watching Alcaraz improve to 48-5 this year. The 22-year-old leads the Tour with five titles this year at Roland Garros, Rome, Monte-Carlo, Rotterdam and The Queen's Club.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/alcaraz-nam-thu-3-lien-tiep-vao-chung-ket-wimbledon-20250711230124418.htm