Alcaraz ends Fritz bid, reaches third consecutive Wimbledon final
Competing on a sunbaked Centre Court, Alcaraz won 88 per cent of his first-serve points but was pushed at times during the two-hour, 48-minute clash.
Taylor Fritz congratulates Carlos Alcaraz after their semi-final clash
LONDON: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to his third consecutive Wimbledon final on Friday, when he overcame American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6).
Competing on a sunbaked Centre Court, Alcaraz won 88 per cent of his first-serve points but was pushed at times during the two-hour, 48-minute clash. The Spaniard suffered a brief lapse in level at the closing stages of the second set but bounced back impressively in the third, outlasting the fifth seed with his baseline power and consistency.
He then saved two set points at 4/6 in the fourth-set tie-break, reeling off four consecutive points to move to within one victory of becoming just the fifth player to clinch three consecutive Wimbledon crowns.
Currently riding a career-best 24-match winning streak, Alcaraz is also bidding to join Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open Era to complete the Roland Garros–Wimbledon double in consecutive years. Borg achieved the feat from 1978 to 1980.
Fritz came through two five setters en route to his second major semi-final and was seeking to become the first American man to reach the Wimbledon final since Andy Roddick in 2009. The 27-year-old won 80 per cent of his first-serve points against Alcaraz but struggled to make inroads on the second seed’s delivery. The Spaniard dictated play from the baseline, mixed in deft drop shots, and used his heavy second serve to keep Fritz off balance throughout.
The American looked set to force a fifth set when he led 6/4 in the tie-break but as is often the case, Alcaraz increased his level when it mattered most. The Spaniard saved the first set point by feathering a forehand volley into the forecourt and the second when Fritz struck a forehand long. The Spaniard, who sealed victory on his first match point, leads Fritz 3-0 in the pair’s Head2Head series, with this their first meeting on grass.
After a shaky five-set win against Fabio Fognini in the opening round, Alcaraz has steadily found his rhythm in London, where he eliminated Andrey Rublev in the fourth round and dispatched British lefty Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Rami Malek, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Ford and Anna Wintour were among the spectators watching Alcaraz improve to 48-5 on the year. The 22-year-old has won a Tour-leading five titles in 2025 – Roland Garros, Rome, Monte-Carlo, Rotterdam, and The Queen’s Club.
