Alcaraz survives thrilling five-set match against Tiafoe

LONDON: Wimbledon defending champion Carlos Alcaraz nearly surrendered his crown to American Frances Tiafoe but survived to fight another day with a 5-7 6-2 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 victory on Centre Court on Friday.

Alcaraz was under intense pressure throughout a spellbinding third-round match, played in superb spirit and with the crowd fully engaged.

With his back to the wall while trailing two sets to one and dominated by the fiery Tiafoe, the third seed Spaniard suddenly found an extra gear to take control.

Tiafoe appeared set to exact revenge after the heartbreaking five-set loss he suffered to Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open semi-finals, falling deep into the fourth set.

But Alcaraz, 21, responded devastatingly to prevail in the tie-break and the fifth set was one-sided as Tiafoe’s energy levels eventually waned.

Alcaraz won the game with a drop shot and the two players embraced warmly at the net as the crowd erupted.

His victory means he has now reached at least the fourth round in 10 of his first 14 Grand Slam tournaments and he will face either Frenchman Ugo Humbert or unseeded American Brandon Nakashima in the next round.

“It’s a big challenge to play against Frances and once again he showed that he deserves to fight for big things,” Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title after beating Tiafoe at Flushing Meadows two years ago, said on the court.

“It was really difficult to adapt my game and find solutions to make it difficult for him today. I had some difficult moments in the fourth set but I just thought I would fight for one more ball.”

Forty-nine years ago today, Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win Wimbledon.

Given the way Tiafoe, born in Maryland to parents from Sierra Leone, played for most of the game, it didn’t seem far-fetched to imagine him following in Ashe’s footsteps.

With the roof closed, Tiafoe cranked the power button to 11 – sending the ball to all corners of the court and displaying his trademark athleticism around the grass.

Alcaraz led 4-2 in the first set, but Tiafoe responded and then regained serve at 5-5 with a hammered forehand before holding serve to win the set.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz appeared to have gained momentum with a five-game run to level the match, but Tiafoe had other ideas.

Attacking at every opportunity, Tiafoe broke his serve at 3-3 in the third set and Alcaraz faltered as he was again forced to work hard at 3-5 to stay in the set.

Tiafoe duly held serve to move to within a set of the biggest win of his career and knocked on the door throughout the fourth set with Alcaraz in control.

At 4-4, 0-30 on Alcaraz’s serve, Tiafoe seemed on the verge of creating a huge upset. But that’s when he came closest.

When Alcaraz won a point he had no right to, volleying a Tiafoe goal to lead 2-0 in the break, he pumped his fist at the crowd and suddenly reinvigorated himself as he waged an epic battle in a deciding set.

Only he knows whether a nasty slip near the baseline late in the breaker affected Tiafoe, but his challenge faded quickly after that and Alcaraz roared home.