On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz will compete in his second Wimbledon final.
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion, has advanced to his second Wimbledon final! In a rematch of the previous year’s semifinal, the Spaniard defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and fifty-five minutes, securing a matchup with either Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti.
Carlos had a hard time getting the initial serve. He failed to defend the three break points he offered Daniil. Taking control of the rebound, the Spaniard converted six breaks out of fifteen attempts, accounting for 38% of the points. Alcaraz, who is 21 years old, reached his fourth Major final after controlling his strokes and producing 52 winners and 35 unintentional errors to win the match in four sets.
Carlos had a hard time getting the first serve in the first set; he was broken twice but overcame it to force a tie break. After Carlos’ forehand winner, Daniil faced a break point and lost game chances in the opening set of the match.
After another deuce, the Spaniard sprayed a typical forehand error, allowing the Russian to seal the victory and avert an early deficit.
Following a backhand error by Medvedev in the second game, Alcaraz held at love, and the world no. 5 delivered a superb hold in the following game to take a 2-1 lead. After Carlos made a mistake with his forehand, Daniil entered the game on the return in the fourth game and broke through at love to lead 3-1. However, he struggled to get behind the first shot in the subsequent game.
After forcing the Russian to make a smash error and recovering the break, the Spaniard scored four break points, taking the final one. At 2-3, Alcaraz played another careless service game rather than building on it. In the sixth game, Medvedev recovered his advantage and landed a smash winner to clinch a break at 15.
In game seven, Daniil sealed the break with a winning serve, giving him a 5-2 lead and making Carlos serve to stay in the set.
In four sets, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon semifinal.
In game eight, Alcaraz made a hold at love and accepted his last opportunity at the return at 3-5.
With a winning drop shot, the Spaniard broke through, cutting the lead to 5–4 and prolonging the match. In the last three games, they introduced a tie break and served brilliantly. With a return winner, Daniil increased his lead to 3-0 and in the following one, he overcame his opponent at the net.
After 57 minutes, Medvedev had established an early lead by creating five set points and winning the first one with a serve winner. In the second set, the defending champion got off to a new start, serving well and applying pressure to the opposition.
In the opening game, Alcaraz held at 15 and won a nail-biting rally at 1-1 with a forehand winner for yet another excellent hold. In the fourth game, Carlos found some momentum and converted a backhand crosscourt winner to earn two break opportunities.
With a running forehand crosscourt winner in the first, the defending champion took a 1-0 lead and further extended it with a forehand winner in the second.
In game six, Daniil used a hold to cut the margin to five before Carlos took the lead. After an hour and thirty-two minutes, the Spaniard even the score by holding after a deuce with a service winner to take the ninth game.
In the third set, Alcaraz continued to play at that same level, controlling his strokes and providing five easy holds. The youthful shooter gained an early advantage and pushed it through for a two-set to one win. Carlos pushed for the comeback in the following game after ending the previous one at love.
Medvedev lost serve after serve and fell behind after playing an erroneous forehand that left him facing a break point. In game four, Alcaraz produced a nice hold and opened up a 3-1 lead with a forehand winner at the net.
Carlos gained a break opportunity in the seventh game by painting a winning return.
With a service winner, Medvedev kept it close, trailing by only one break. Alcaraz served for the set at 5-4 after winning the eighth game with a fortunate net cord drop shot. After two hours and twelve minutes, the young gun wrapped up another good set with a serve winner, getting closer to the finish line.
In the opening game of the fourth set, Alcaraz managed to break the seal, but their lead was short-lived. In the second game, Medvedev regained the lead by going back to the positive side and establishing the rhythm of the first stroke.
In the next four games, they even the score at 3-3 thanks to strong serving. In the seventh game, Carlos entered the return and forced a mistake from Daniil, giving himself a break and a lead. In the eighth game, the Spanish held with a stunning serve and volley combination, forcing the Russian to serve to maintain a 3-5 lead in the match.
In the ninth game, Medvedev held at 30, forcing Alcaraz to serve for the victory at 5-4. Carlos sealed the deal and advanced to the final by forcing Daniil’s error and creating a match point with a winning serve.