Alcaraz advances, Sinner sublime, Raducanu roars on at Wimbledon

Agency :

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was stretched to the limit en route to the Wimbledon fourth round but world number one Jannik Sinner, his likely semi-final opponent, was unruffled as he advanced in ominous fashion at rainy Wimbledon on Friday.

Play ended in late afternoon on most of the All England Club’s courts as the heavens opened over southwest London.

But the significant action, including wins for women’s second seed Coco Gauff and British favorite Emma Raducanu, went ahead under the Centre Court and Court One roofs.

The 21-year-old Alcaraz, bidding for his fourth Grand Slam title, ran into inspired American Frances Tiafoe in a repeat of their thrilling semi-final the 2022 US Open.

Just as in New York, the two players traded blows in a match sprinkled with spectacular exchanges but once again it was Alcaraz who boasted the greater firepower – racking up 55 winners to Tiafoe’s 39 in a 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 win.

Put under extreme pressure by the all-action American, Alcaraz was in trouble towards the end of the fourth set but found another gear to dominate the tiebreak and then romp away to victory in the deciding set.

He has now reached at least the fourth round in 10 of his first 14 Grand Slam appearances while his record in five-setters now stands at a formidable 12-1.

“I’m playing with the statistics that I have just lost one match in the fifth set. That’s an advantage for me. That’s why in those situations I play at my high level,” he said.

Alcaraz’s day got even better as he finished in time to watch Spain beat Germany at Euro 2024, although he insisted he had not asked the schedulers for an early time slot.

Sinner no longer has an interest in the soccer after Italy’s limp exit. Instead, the top seed is looking in the mood to become the second Italian to win multiple Grand Slam titles after Nicola Pietrangeli.

After being pushed hard by compatriot and 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini in the first round, a clinical Sinner ran riot against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in a little over one and a half hours.

But very much still standing is Raducanu whose run so far is reminiscent of her fairytale in New York in 2021 when she won the title as a teenager having come through qualifying.

Wildcard Raducanu, who skipped the French Open to focus on Wimbledon, overpowered Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3.