Carlos Alcaraz is once again in the final of Wimbledon. © APA/afp / HENRY NICHOLLS

Finale: Alcaraz aims to defend his title

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has prevailed against Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals and now has the chance to win his second Wimbledon victory.

July 12, 2024

From: dpa/dl

The 21-year-old Spaniard won 6:7 (1:7), 6:3, 6:4, 6:4 after initial problems and moved into the final of the most traditional tennis tournament for the second time in a row. In his fourth Grand Slam final, Alcaraz will face Serbian top star Novak Djokovic on Sunday in a repeat of 2023. who defeated Italian outsider Lorenzo Musetti in three sets. Just over a month ago, Alcaraz was crowned French Open winner in the final in Paris against Alexander Zverev.

Another semi-final victory against Medvedev can be a good omen for Alcaraz. A year ago at the same venue, Alcaraz won the duel against Medvedev in three confident sets and then dethroned Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final. This time, the 15.000 spectators on the completely packed Centre Court saw a weaker start from the exceptional Spanish talent. As the match progressed, however, Alcaraz again made many things look easy.

Daniil Medvedev misses his first Wimbledon final. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

The two semi-finalists offered a changeable and strange first set with four lost serves and plenty of back and forth. Alcaraz varied the tempo and tried to throw the 28-year-old Russian off his rhythm. In doing so, however, he made an unusually high number of minor errors. His first serve was clearly too rare.

The atmosphere briefly heated up when Medvedev received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct from referee Eva Asderaki during the change of ends at the end of the first set. The referee called the supervisor because Medvedev had apparently sworn. Alcaraz had just secured the break to make it 4:5 and fought back from a 2:5 deficit. The referee ended the point with an interjection that the ball had bounced twice before Medvedev reached the drop ball.

Alcaraz demonstrates his class

Medvedev still secured the first set and clearly dominated the tiebreak. But the match then turned around. Alcaraz responded to the set deficit by raising his level. He overcame the problems on his own serve and played more aggressively.

Carlos Alcaraz impresses with his agility. © ANSA / TOLGA AKMEN

In the second and third rounds, the Spanish world number three broke the serve of the 2021 US Open winner early on, laying the foundation for a 2-1 set lead. When Medvedev was broken again in the fourth set, it looked like a sure win for Alcaraz. Medvedev came back again, but Alcaraz was unstoppable and won after 2:55 hours.