Carlos Alcaraz has become the fourth-youngest man in the Open Era to reach a Wimbledon final after disposing of Daniil Medvedev in their semi-final clash on Friday.
The world No.1 stormed to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, victory to become the third Spanish man to reach a title match at the tournament after Manolo Santana and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz, who is making just his third main draw appearance this year, will next play Novak Djokovic on Sunday for the title.
Two years have passed since Alcaraz first locked horns with Medvedev at Wimbledon when the Russian cruised to a straight-sets win. Since then, he has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the sport with multiple Masters titles and a Major trophy already to his name at the age of 20. This was evident in their latest clash with the youngster largely dominating proceedings as he fired 26 winners and constantly drew mistakes from his opponent. In total Medvedev produced 19 unforced errors.
“It’s a dream for me, and to play a final here at Wimbledon, I can’t believe it. It is an amazing moment for me and time to keep dreaming,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview.
“He’s [Medvedev] is an amazing fighter and I had to be my best and play aggressive, be myself all the time, that was the key to the match.”
Playing under the Center Court roof, both players settled into the match promptly as they engaged in various baseline rallies. Seven games went by before Alcaraz drew blood for the first time. A deep forehand to the baseline rewarded the top seed with a break point for 5-3, which he converted with another sharp return of the Medvedev serve. He then followed up with a love service game to clinch the opener.
Alcaraz’s relentless game style continued to wear down Medvedev, a world No.3 who won the 2021 US Open. Displaying some sublime defensive play and powerful shot-making, he broke once again three games into the second set with a backhand return that Medvedev couldn’t keep in the court. The Alcaraz masterclass continued as he dismantled his opponent with ease. A nifty slice winner at 5-3 rewarded him with a trio of chances to take a two-set lead. He prevailed on his third attempt.
After the onslaught, a dejected Medvedev looked towards his coach, Gilles Cevara, for help. His mood deteriorated further when Alcaraz began the third frame with a three-game winning streak before the Russian finally had something to cheer about after breaking for the first time.
Suddenly it was Alcaraz’s turn to be frustrated after he dropped serve two times in a row in what was turning into a topsy-turvy encounter. Despite the blip, he moved to a game away from victory. A 113mph serve wide set him up with a match point before he sealed the victory by hitting a sublime forehand passing shot following a long rally.
Alcaraz will next player Djokovic who is seeking to win the Wimbledon title for a record-equalling eighth time. Djokovic also won his semi-final encounter in straight sets against Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
“Everybody knows it is going to be very difficult but I will fight, that is myself, I will believe in myself that I can beat him here,” Alcaraz commented.
“It will be a tough time for me. I dreamt since I started playing tennis to play a final here, It’s a final, it’s no time to be afraid, to be tired, I will go for it.”
Also at stake in Sunday’s final will be the No.1 ranking.
