Alcaraz fires past Fritz into third Wimbledon final

Strategic service breaks made the difference for Carlos Alcaraz and the two-time defending champion vaulted into his third straight Wimbledon final on Friday 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (6) over Taylor Fritz.

The Spanish second seed will wait for a Sunday opponent as Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic clash in the second semi-final in heatwave conditions at the All England club.

Alcaraz fought off Californian Fritz in the fourth-set tiebreaker as the American came from 1-4. The second seed saved two set points and clinched victory on a first match point after nearly three hours.

It took an hour for the first stricken spectator to call for medical assistance as temperatures rose to a predicted 32 Celsius; another distress call followed shortly after..

Alcaraz extended his current season win streak to 24 in a row but said he is not enamoured with his success.

“I’m not thinking about results and the streak,” he said. “It’s my dream to play tennis on the most beautiful courts in the world

“I don’t want to think of Sunday, I want to enjoy this moment after reaching another final.”

The 22-year-old owns five trophies at the majors from 17 played.

“It was a really difficult match against Taylor,” he said. “It was hot here again, but I’m happy with everything that I did today.

“I overcame the nerves and the pressure. I was happy saving those two set points. I stayed calm and thought clearly.”

Alcaraz set the tone as he broke in the opening game and never gave Fritz a look-in as he maintained the early lead, finishing the set with a return to the feet of his opponent after 36 minutes on court and a mere three unforced errors. .

The second set stayed wrapped on serve until the 12th game, when Fitzz caught Alcaraz with three set points and converted on the first to square the sets at one apiece.

Alcaraz again grabbed an early lead with his break to love of Fritz in the third game of the third set.

The Spanish seed grabbed a two-set-to-one lead with a break of Fritz to close out the set as he moved within touching distance of victory.

Main photo:- Carlos Alacaraz celebrates reaching his his third Wimbledon final in a row – by Roger Parker ISF Ltd