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London: Carlos Alcaraz retained his Wimbledon title on Friday after a spirited battle with friend Francis Tiafoe, winning 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2. The Spanish third seed was dominated by his American opponent for much of the match on Centre Court but found extra motivation in a match that lasted nearly four hours. Alcaraz is looking to become the sixth player to win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles, having beaten Novak Djokovic in a thrilling final last year.
He will face either Brandon Nakashima of the United States or 16th-seeded Ugo Humbert of France in the fourth round for his fourth Grand Slam title at the age of 21. Tiafoe, the 29th-seeded player, put heavy pressure on Alcaraz’s serve in the first set, holding six break points and taking two of them to win 7-5. But the Spaniard reduced his errors in the second set, breaking twice to level the match in wet London weather.
Alcaraz saved another string of break points from Tiafoe in the third set but lost in the seventh game, with the American combining brutal power with finesse to make the crucial break and electrify the crowd as he sealed the win. The champion was in trouble at 0-30 in the ninth game of the fourth set but won four straight points to stay on serve.
The energetic Alcaraz stepped up in the tie-break, giving it his all to go 5-0 up and greet the crowd as he leveled the match at two sets. Alcaraz broke serve early in the decider, which was a clear indication of the momentum shift, and he broke again to go 4-1 up.
Tiafoe held serve to delay the inevitable, but Alcaraz served for the match at zero and sealed the win with a clever drop shot before the two friends embraced at the net. It was the first time the two had faced each other since Alcaraz won an epic five-setter in the 2022 U.S. Open semifinals to claim his first Grand Slam title. Tiafoe won their only meeting on clay in Barcelona in 2021 when Alcaraz was a 17-year-old wildcard.
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