November 21, 2024
In a clash between two 20-year-olds, it was Carlos Alcaraz who triumphed over Holger Rune on Wednesday when he defeated the Dane 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4 to reach his maiden Wimbledon semi-final.
Alcaraz’s match against the World No. 6 Rune was the first men’s Wimbledon quarter-final battle in the Open Era (since 1968) to be contested between two players aged under 21 and both played with youthful freedom on Centre Court to entertain the packed crowd.
They went blow for blow with their destructive shotmaking for two hours and 20 minutes, but the World No. 1 Alcaraz had the answers in the big moments, becoming the youngest man to reach the last four at SW19 since a then-20-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2007.
“It is amazing for me,” Alcaraz said. “It is a dream since I started playing tennis, making good results here at Wimbledon, such a beautiful and great tournament for me. It is a dream to play a semi-final here. I think I am playing at a great level. I did not expect to play at such a great level on this surface. For me it is crazy.”
With his 45th tour-level victory of the season, Alcaraz advanced to his third major semi-final and improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Rune, having defeated the Dane en route to the 2021 Next Gen ATP Finals title.
“It was tough. At the beggining I was really nervous, playing a quarter-final at Wimbledon and even more against Rune, who is the same age as me,” Alcaraz said. “He plays at a great level and it was tough to play against him. But I have said it a few times, once you take to court you are not friends you have to be focused on your side and I think I did great on that part.”
Standing in the Spaniard’s way from a second major final will be World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev. The 27-year-old earned his 46th victory of the season against Christopher Eubanks on Wednesday, defeating the American in five sets.
Meeting for the third time and first on grass, Alcaraz and Rune came out firing in a tight first set. The Spaniard and Dane both looked to strike early during the baseline exchanges, with Alcaraz running around his forehand to unload, while Rune timed his backhand cleanly to pressure the top seed. With nothing to separate them, Alcaraz found great depth on return in the tie-break, sealing the set with a backhand pass.
After gaining the lead, the World No. 1 was locked in during set two. He hit with explosive power to outmanoeuvre Rune and was watertight off the ground, not committing an unforced error in the second set to extend his advantage.
At 2-2 in the third set, the Spaniard produced the killer blow on break point, striking a return onto the baseline, which Rune could only fire into the net. Alcaraz then remained strong on serve to reach his third major semi-final.
“From the second set on, I enjoyed a lot,” said Alcaraz, who struck 35 winners and saved the one break point he faced. “I played my game and had a smile on my face, which is the key to everything. Thanks to winning the first set and screaming that huge ‘vamos’ helped me a lot and helped me find my best level.”
Alcaraz is aiming to become the third-youngest player to win the Wimbledon men’s singles crown in the Open Era. If he captures his second major crown this fortnight, the 2022 US Open champion is guaranteed to remain at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Rune, who advanced to quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023, was aiming to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. The Dane entered the grass season holding a 0-3 career record on the surface, but leaves London 8-5, having also advanced to the last four at The Queen’s Club.
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