Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a backhand return to Daniil Medvedev of Russia during their semifinal match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Holder Alcaraz beat his fifth-ranked opponent Medvedev despite dropping the opening set of the match as he stormed into the final with a 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 triumph at the center court on Friday.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached his fourth Grand Slam final at Wimbledon on Friday when he recovered from a set down to defeat Daniil Medvedev.
World number three Alcaraz beat his fifth-ranked opponent 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and will face either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti for the title on Sunday.
Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the 2023 final in a five-set thriller.
“Obviously it will be a really difficult match. Let’s see who I am going to play on Sunday,” said Alcaraz who crunched 55 winners to the 31 from Medvedev.
“I feel like I am not new anymore. I know how I am going to feel before the final. I have been in this position before.”
He added: “I started really nervous today. Daniil was dominating the match, playing great tennis. It was difficult for me.”
Twice Medvedev, beaten by the Spaniard at the same stage last year, led with breaks in the first set only to be pinned back.
Such was his frustration that he was handed a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct by umpire Eva Asderaki for an apparent foul-mouthed reaction to a ball called for bouncing twice as he was broken in the ninth game.
The tournament referee and supervisor were even summoned to Centre Court by Asderaki, but Medvedev shrugged off the incident to sweep through the tie-break and take the opening set in which he committed only eight unforced errors to the Spaniard’s 15.
It was the third time at this year’s Wimbledon that Alcaraz had dropped the first set.
Alcaraz recovered impressively, breaking Medvedev for a 3-1 lead in the second, having come out on top in the previous game on the back of a 27-shot rally.
The 21-year-old then hit 14 winners in the third set, pocketing the only break in the third game.
Medvedev, who had knocked out world number one Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals, retrieved a break early in the fourth set.
But Alcaraz kept up his assault, edging ahead again for 4-3 on his way to victory.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)