LONDON – Current champion Carlos Alcaraz came back to eliminate Frances Tiafoe 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 to reach Wimbledon fourth round on Friday in an entertaining match between two friends that was filled with moments of brilliance and a series of momentum swings.
Third-seeded Alcaraz was beaten in stretches by No. 29 Tiafoe, but rallied late and improved to 12-1 on his career in the fifth set. Tiafoe fell to 6-13 in that category.
Tiafoe was denied what would have been a surprising victory for someone who arrived at Wimbledon with a sprained right knee ligament and a losing record this season.
He sure came close, though.
The 26-year-old American was two points away from having a chance to serve for the win, reaching love-30 on Alcaraz’s serve at 4-all in the fourth set. But Alcaraz stood his ground and passed, as he so often does, taking the next four points, crowned by an ace at 210 km/h.
He then dominated the next jump-off, taking a 5-0 lead with another ace, this one at 205 km/h.
The final set featured more one-way traffic. Tiafoe held the opening game, but that was basically it. At 1-all, Alcaraz got the last break he needed when he hit a cross-court backhand shot that Tiafoe let go, then saw the ball land right on the baseline, scattering some chalk.
In front of a crowd that included Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Oscar-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, both players were ready to put on a show. Alcaraz made interpolations on the run and back to the net and pointed to his ear to ask for more noise from the spectators; Tiafoe also interacted with fans, waving them to speak louder.
These two, in good humor, exchanged some useless conversations when they found out they would face each other and hugged each other in the hammock when it was all over.
After Tiafoe, who was wearing a black sleeve on his right knee, slipped and fell to the floor a few times, Alcaraz walked around the net to the other side of the court to check on him.
Both smile often in the heat of the moment on the court and did so repeatedly on Friday. Both celebrated key points with raised or waved fists.
There were fewer of the long, drawn-out exchanges they had at Flushing Meadows just under two years ago — when Alcaraz defeated Tiafoe in five sets in the US Open semifinals — largely due to the faster grass that tends to end points quickly. Still, there were moments of shared excellence, including a 22-stroke point that Alcaraz won to help lead 4-2 in the first set.
Tiafoe backtracked on the path to owning that set. Alcaraz straightened up in the second. Then it was Tiafoe’s turn to play better in the third. And, in the end, it was Alcaraz who emerged victorious.
Now Alcaraz will continue his quest for a second consecutive title at the All England Club and his fourth Grand Slam trophy overall, including a French Open triumph last month that saw the 21-year-old Spaniard the youngest man to win a major championship on all three surfaces.
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