Carlos Alcaraz survived a tense Centre Court clash against Andrey Rublev, dropping the first set before pulling away 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals and keep his hat-trick bid alive.
The Spaniard started under pressure as Rublev claimed the opening tie-break. But in the second set, Alcaraz seized a critical break in game eight and held serve to level the match. Despite Rublev's fierce groundstrokes, Alcaraz raised his level in the third, unleashing a sensational forehand winner and sealing the set with an audacious drop shot.
The decider swung decisively when Rublev lost serve in the fifth game of the fourth set. Alcaraz made no mistake in closing out the victory, denying his opponent any chance of a comeback.
As a two-time defending champion, Alcaraz now eyes an exclusive club: he would become just the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles, joining Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras and Novak Djokovic. Next up is a quarterfinal showdown that will test whether he can find consistency at this year's tournament and etch his name further into Wimbledon history.
Reference(s):
Alcaraz survives Rublev test to stay on course for Wimbledon hat-trick
cgtn.com
