Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz has secured his place in the fourth round after a grueling five-set victory over Frances Tiafoe. The match, which lasted nearly four hours, saw Alcaraz triumph 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.Alcaraz, the world’s No. 3 player, faced significant challenges from Tiafoe, currently ranked 29th. The Spanish champion admitted to struggling at times, particularly in the fourth set. ‘It’s always a challenge playing against Frances. He’s a very talented player and today we saw again that he deserves to be at the top and fight for big things,’ Alcaraz said in the post-match interview.This victory extends Alcaraz’s impressive record in five-set matches to 12-1. The 21-year-old Spaniard showed great maturity and resilience, drawing on his experience from past Grand Slam finals to secure the win.In other Wimbledon news, British wildcard Emma Raducanu caused an upset by defeating Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the third round. Meanwhile, Coco Gauff easily won her match against British qualifier Sonay Kartal, 6-4, 6-0.Alcaraz will face either Ugo Humbert or Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round. He remains in contention to become the sixth player in history to win both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season.
Key points
- Carlos Alcaraz won a thrilling five-set match against Frances Tiafoe to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon.
- Alcaraz’s victory extends his impressive five-set match record to 12-1.
- Emma Raducanu upset Maria Sakkari in straight sets, while Coco Gauff easily won her match.
