Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz wins unexpected four-set thriller against Nicolas Jarry to advance at All England Club
Spanish world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz came through a gruelling battle to beat Chile's Nicolas Jarry at the All England Club; Alcaraz secured a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 7-5 four-set victory on Centre Court in their third-round clash but was made to work every inch of the way
Saturday 8 July 2023 22:49, UK
Carlos Alcaraz overcame Nicolas Jarry to keep his Wimbledon campaign on track, but he was made to work hard for victory in an unexpected thriller.
A wobble for the Spanish star in the second set saw Chile's Jarry level the match before Alcaraz ultimately powered on to a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 7-5 four-set victory.
Even the first set Alcaraz won in this match wasn't plain-sailing. They both held their initial service games, striking the ball with assured confidence.
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Alcaraz finished off a brilliant rally, running at full tilt as he whipped the ball back over the net before playing a long shot onto the line to win a break point.
He snatched that opportunity to go up 5-3 in the first. But even when serving out that set, Jarry made him scrap hard just to get through the game.
The Chilean found his form in the second set, breaking Alcaraz early, firing out winning strikes as if he was the one who had been ordained to be a superstar.
But, as well as all his talents on the court, Alcaraz also appears to have a fighting temperament. He battled back and engineered a break of his own to take the second set to a tiebreak.
Jarry, though, was not to be denied and seized the tiebreak 8-6 to win the second set.
Alcaraz wrestled momentum back his way in the third. He took a key break in the fourth game, pausing for a moment after he played the winner, acknowledging the moment. He served his way to the rest of the set, showing flashes of brilliance when he took to the pace out of the ball and landed a pinpoint drop shot.
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But just as it looked like Alcaraz would run away with the contest, Jarry waded back into the start of the fourth set. Flipping the script, Jarry broke the Spaniard early on and then ground out a hold of serve in another big game that saw him go 3-0 up.
If the plot had twisted again, Alcaraz wrenched it his way once more when he broke Jarry himself and then held serve to level the set at 4-4.
He then forced another break to find himself serving for the match. In the decisive game, Alcaraz switched up the pace, bringing Jarry to net with a drop shot only to then lob him with expert precision.
But the drama wasn't over as the Chilean roared back, taking Alcaraz to a break point.
He could not stave the US Open champion off, however. He brought it back to deuce, then took the advantage before landing a tremendous serve that Jarry could only bat back into the net.
He had been visibly animated throughout that set but at the finish Alcaraz held his arms aloft in delight, and perhaps relief. He had the all-important victory, but it had been hard-won.
"It has been really tough, Nicolas is a really great player, he's playing really well," said Alcaraz. "I'm just really happy with the level I played to get through this tough round.
"I had to stay focused. I knew I would have my chances. I would say the key is to believe and stay focused all the time."
Coming through on Centre Court is a special experience.
"I remember a lot of matches I watched as a kid on this court. I've watched so many videos of legends and epic matches here. I'm just really happy to play here," Alcaraz added.
"It's something I dreamed of when I was really young and started playing tennis. On this court you feel something special. It's the most beautiful court I've played on."
Underarm serve breaks Davidovich Fokina in marathon Rune match
Holger Rune overcame Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in what turned into a five-set battle of attrition that finished with an 18-point tiebreak and a baffling underarm serve.
Denmark's Rune took a 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8) victory to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
After nearly four hours slugging it out on Court No 3, it all came down to a final-set tiebreak. It was Davidovich Fokina whose composure cracked.
With the tiebreak level at 8-8, the Spaniard essayed an underarm serve. Rune pounced on it and smashed a vicious winner past the Spaniard to set up match point.
The Dane then prevailed in the roller coaster encounter when Davidovich Fokina found the net on the final point as an exhausted but ecstatic Rune lay flat on his back on the grass, soaking in the applause.
Matteo Berrettini will play Carlos Alcaraz next after he beat Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5). Clearly enjoying his tournament, he said: "I missed playing, I missed competing. It's so special. I found extra energy every day. I'm so glad that I'm here."
Third seed Daniil Medvedev dropped his first set but recovered to beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.
Czech Jiri Lehecka stunned American 16th seed Tommy Paul 6-2 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (9-11) 6-2 to set up a fourth-round with Medvedev.
The day after beating Andy Murray, Greek fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas claimed a 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Serbia's Laslo Djere.
America's Chris Eubanks, so impressive when eliminating Cam Norrie on Friday, extended his best Grand Slam run by defeating Australian Christopher O'Connell in three sets that all went to tiebreaks. He prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2).
Inclement weather in SW19 returned to play havoc with the scheduling. Grigor Dimitrov had two-set lead, 6-2 6-3, over America's Frances Tiafoe before the rain stopped play and a host of matches were cancelled before they even got started.
