ATP
Alcaraz overcomes Djokovic to win Wimbledon title
Carlos Alcaraz out-duelled 23-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Sunday, becoming the third Spaniard to win Wimbledon.
The 20-year-old top seed who will hold onto the No. 1 ranking triumphed in one of the longest men’s finals at Wimbledon – four hours, 42 minutes.
The record of four hours 57 minutes was held by Djokovic and Roger Federer from 2019. Alcaraz follows Spanish champions Manolo Santana and Rafael Nadal
Defeat ended Djokovic’s Wimbledon win streak at 34 matches, the result of him winning the last four editions here; he was bidding to tie Federer on eight Wimbledon trophies.
Alcaraz set up match point with a service winner which was followed by Djokovic delivering the ball into the next to end the marathon.
“This is a dream come true, the winner said. “It’s great to win but even if I had lost I would be proud of myself for making history at this beautiful tournament.
“To be able to play at this. I didn’t expect things to happen so fast.”
Djokovic, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 years older than the 20-year-old winner, was able to swallow his massive disappointment
“It’s not such a good afternoon for me – better one for Carlos.
“It’s amazing the quality at the end of the match. Carlos came up with big serves, big plays. You deserve this win.
“I didn’t think I would have this much trouble with you on the grass – just clay and hardcourt.
“It’s amazing the way you’ve adapted to the surface,” he told the pre-Wimbledon winner at Queen’s last month.
Djokovic added: “I never like to lose matches like this, it’s a tough one to swallow when you are so close. But when the emotions have settled, I have to be grateful.
:”I’ve won a few tight finals here, maybe I should have lost a few of them – so this is even Steven.
“I lost to a better player and can move on and be stronger.”
With Djokovic running out the first five games, it took 32 minutes for Alcaraz to get onto the scoreboard as he finally held for 1-5. But that minor success was followed minutes later by a winning over head smash on set point from the Serb.
Alcaraz got into rhythm in the second set as he broke his opponent for 2-0, with Djokovic immediately breaking back.
But the tight set went to a tiebreaker, with Alcaraz coming from 0-3 down and saving a set point before converting his own on a Djokovic backhand error to level the match after two hours.
Photo Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
The Spaniard began the third with a break and moved into domination mode, with Djokovic arguing along the way with chair umpire Fergus Murphy about a time violation as he went for the backcourt towel.
Alcaraz built up confidence as he broke the second seed for 4-1 in a 26-minute game with 13 deuces; Djokovic saved six break points before netting a forehand on the seventh.
Alcaraz took a two-set-to-one lead with a concluding break, for his own 6-1 scoreline; Djokovic left the court for a lengthy seven-minute toilet break, getting some jeers when he returned.
The veteran fought off two break points in the second game of the fourth to hold for 1-1 as he tried to get back into the final. The tactic worked a treat as Djokovic broke twice to square the match at two sets each.
With tensions running high, Djokovic was first to lose serve, dropping to 1-2; during his losing effort he slipped down, got up in time to return the next ball and was finally passed by the youngster.
A racquet smashed in anger into the net post earned a code violation for the second seed.
Main photo:-Wimbledon 2023 Carlos Alcaraz celebrates as he wins Men’s Singles Final by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
Two-time champion Casper Ruud had to work for more than two and a half hours to overcome Jaime Faria, the Portuguese who put out Stan Wawrinka in the first round at the Gstaad Swiss Open on Thursday.
Faria was riding the momentum from Tuesday’s defeat of three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, set to retire this season and beaten in an opening match at his home venue.
Faria had his eye on a second upset as he faced Ruud, who lifted the trophy at this elite alpine village in 2021 and 2022.
Ruud ahd to dodge a bullet and mount a comeback to get through the second-round test against the Portuguese.
After dropping the opening set in a tiebreaker, Ruud played patiently as Faria saved five break points in the sixth game of the second set before failing on the sixth.
Ruud then pulled away for a 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 victory, his first since Roland Garros.
“Sometimes it is hard to say when you get a good feeling and you start to win some games in a row,” the winner said.
“You try from the first game to the last, but suddenly something clicked in the middle of the second for me, luckily.”
He added: “I had to really fight hard and if I played one bad game in the second and he serves well, it could be over and it would be time to go home. But luckily I can extend the stay.”
The Scandinavian could join Spaniards Sergi Bruguera and Alex Corretja as three-time winners in the Alps, with Ruud now standing 10-1 here over his career.
Stefanost Tsitsipas said he slept soundly prior to finishing off a darkness-interrupted match on Thursday as he eliminated local Jerome Kym at the Gstaad Swiss Open.
The Greek who once cracked third in the world and the 186th-ranked Swiss returned to the clay after darkness on Wednesday night left them hanging at 5-all in the third set.
Tsitsipas revved up his game from the resumption to emerge into the quarter-finals 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).
The second seed now standing 85th in the world after several poor seasons and a split with his father as his coach, said getting his rest was not a problem after the interruption.
“It was strange going to bed and not being finished. I visualised what I wanted to do, my shot patterns.
“It worked out pretty well.
“I had a good night’s sleep, I was not too stressed and I recovered to get ready for the continuation.”
After saving break points in the first game on Thursday, Tsitsipas triumphed in the final-set tiebreaker
“I’m relieved I was able to save a couple of break points.. I put my game together and made it )victory) happen again.”
The Greek now faces off against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech for a semi-final spot.
“I’m expecting a lot of big serves, the altitude (1050m) helps. I’ll try to build consistency around my own serve.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas was handed a reprieve due to fading light with his second round match at the Swiss Open Gstaad stopped with the Greek deadlocked with local Jerome Kym 6-4, 6-7 (2), 5-5.
The math had to be halted as night fell and electronic linecalling computers could not read the path of the ball on the clay in contrast to humans who could have carried on for a few additional minutes..
The 27-year-old Tsitsipas was taking the worst of it in the concluding stage after a promising start.against a journeyman opponent ranked 186.
Tsitsipas, his ranking down to 85th after once standing third in the world, lashed out verbally in the last few games, apparently frustrated with his racquet reactions.
The Greek was quick to make his point of an overnight stoppage to the chair umpire while Kym – who reached 5-all with a love service hold – left the court with a defiant fist pump for his public in this alpine resort village.
The cutoff came after just over two hours of play, with the contest to be concluded on Thursday. The winner reaches the Friday quarter-finals.
Tsitsipas produced his last notable result in April with a fourth-round showing at the Madrid Masters,
He is aiming for his second quarter-final of the season after Doha in February and his 2025 Barcelona 15 months ago.
Tsitsipas stands 10-1 vs. players ranked outside the top 100 this season with a sole loss to No. 104 Italian Matteo Arnaldi at the Roland Garros second round.
History repeats for Argentine spoiler in Gstaad
Ruud survives a scare to secure Gstaad quarters
Tsitsipas finishes off Kym after overnight pause
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