By Marc McGowan
After waiting so long for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to face off in a grand slam final, they are about to do battle in a second of them inside five weeks.
Sinner will get his chance to capture a maiden Wimbledon title and exact revenge for his heartbreaking five-set defeat to Alcaraz in last month’s classic Roland-Garros final, which lasted five hours and 28 minutes – and saw the Spaniard save three championship points.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates outlasting Taylor Fritz in four tight sets to reach a third Wimbledon final in a row.Credit: AP
It has become the sport’s most captivating rivalry, although Alcaraz has won all five of their clashes since the start of last year, with all bar one going the distance.
Sinner ended seven-time champion Novak Djokovic’s bid to match Roger Federer’s streak of seven consecutive finals at the All England club with a masterful 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 triumph over the super Serb.
The Italian world No.1 is just the fifth man since 1995 to reach the final at all four grand slams, along with Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Two-time defending champion Alcaraz, who will match Bjorn Borg’s feat of six major titles by his 18th slam if he wins Sunday’s final, overcame losing the second set to beat American Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6), in the first semi-final.
“[This is] amazing – I cannot believe it,” Sinner said.
“It was a tournament I always watched when I was young on the television, and I would have never imagined I could play here in the final. I know how much work me and my team are putting in, and today my dad and brother turned up, so it’s even more special.”
Sinner was spectacular in the near-two-hour match, particularly in the opening two sets, where he dominated Djokovic from the baseline and hit 24 of his 36 winners.
The four-time major champion won every rally that lasted nine shots or more, and was magnificent in defence and maintaining his baseline position before launching repeated attacks.
Jannik Sinner celebrates beating Novak Djokovic to reach his maiden Wimbledon final.Credit: AP
Djokovic sought treatment for a left hip issue between the second and third sets, but instantly produced his best tennis of the match to surge 3-0 ahead and hold a break point for 4-0, only for Sinner to quickly reel him in and complete his fifth straight win over the 24-time major champion.
The Djokovic fans desperately and loudly tried to urge their hero back from the brink, but that brief burst was all he had in him.
The 38-year-old legend – who hopes he has not played his final Wimbledon – suffered an awkward fall while sliding to hit a shot late in his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli, and his movement was impaired in the final games as Sinner stormed to the finish line.
“I don’t think it’s bad fortune. It’s just age; the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year-and-a-half, like never before, to be honest,” Djokovic said.
“It’s tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I’m fresh, when I’m fit, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year. But playing best-of-five [sets], particularly this year, has been a real struggle for me physically.
“I reached the semis of every slam this year, but [then] I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz … I feel like I’m going into the match with tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that.”
It is a remarkable turn of events for Sinner, who hurt his elbow and trailed two sets to love in the fourth round to Grigor Dimitrov before the Bulgarian retired with an apparent pectoral muscle injury.
“From my side, I served very well today, and felt great on court. I was moving much better today,” Sinner said.
“We all saw in the third set that [Djokovic] was injured. He fell in the last couple of points in the quarter-finals, and it’s been a very difficult situation, but I tried to stay calm and play the best tennis I can, especially in the important moments, so let’s see what’s coming in the final.
“It’s a huge honour for me to share the court once again with Carlos. We try to push ourselves to the limits, and … hopefully, it will be a good match like the last one. I’m not sure if it’ll be better – I’m not sure if it’s possible – but we will do our best for it to be an enjoyable match for us to play, and you guys to enjoy.”
History awaits Alcaraz
For Alcaraz, this is his shot to join Djokovic, Federer, Pete Sampras and Borg in exclusive company as Open Era men’s champions to claim a historic hat-trick of Wimbledon titles after beating Djokovic in the last two finals.
He rocked back and roared as Fritz misfired long on a forehand on match point after the Spaniard’s brave down-the-line backhand put him in charge. It was a particularly bitter end for the American, who failed to convert two set points – one of them on serve – that would have forced a deciding set.
Borg was in the royal box, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Rami Malek, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Ford and Anna Wintour, to see Alcaraz clinch his 24th win on the trot.
“It was a really difficult match, and it always is when I have to play against Taylor,” Alcaraz said.
“It was even tougher with the conditions today – it was really hot again – so I’m really happy with everything I’ve done today ... playing a semi-final here is not easy to deal with everything, [including] nerves, and pressure you might have. But I’m just happy to win in four sets, [saving] two set points – one with Taylor serving, and really proud of the way I stayed calm, and I’m pleased about my level today.”
Alcaraz took mere minutes to remind Fritz how difficult his afternoon was going to be, pouncing on him immediately with some blistering blows to break in the first game.
Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz meet at the net after their four-set battle.Credit: AP
If Fritz was caught napping early, then he did his best to wake from his slumber with some spectacular hitting at times – but that often seemed his only path to winning points, particularly on Alcaraz’s serve, which was humming in the opening set.
Alcaraz threatened to break Fritz’s serve a second time, but the American dodged trouble to force his Spanish rival to serve the set out, which he did to love, including a pair of thunderous aces and another unreturned serve.
There was a different feel from the outset of the second set, with Fritz holding comfortably then starting to make inroads on return as Alcaraz’s sky-high level dipped. Play also stopped twice for British fans struggling in London’s heat wave, which only added to the tension.
Fritz had already restricted Alcaraz to deuce or 15-30 in three of his previous four service games, including a first break point in the eighth game, by the time he finally broke the Spaniard to level the match.
It was an awful game from Alcaraz, who double-faulted for 0-40 then wildly flayed a forehand beyond the baseline to concede.
However, order was restored in the third game of the third set when Fritz slumped to 0-40, with Alcaraz having the fifth seed on a string with first a drop shot then sending him scurrying the other way with a lob that he could not get back into play.
That was all Alcaraz needed to cruise to a two-sets-to-one lead.
But Fritz, who reached last year’s US Open final, continued to hang around, even digging deep to stave off a potentially match-crippling break point in the sixth game of the fourth set with some aggressive tennis.
The contest continued to zip by with few extended rallies, and they both began dominating on serve as the tie-breaker approached.
Alcaraz lunges for a forehand in his four-set semi-final victory over Fritz at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images
One ill-advised drop shot in the tie-break threatened to cost Fritz dearly. Alcaraz used the tactic regularly and with great effect to expose Fritz’s movement, but trying it against the athletic Spaniard was always fraught with danger.
Alcaraz chased it down, won the point and shot 4-1 clear, but Fritz came charging back with the next five points, starting with a brilliant backhand down the line to draw level.
With a fifth set staring him in the face, the American would have desperately wished for a service winner. Alcaraz had other ideas, neutralising the point then forcing his way to the net to draw an error. Fritz’s second set point was on Alcaraz’s serve, and he made a deep return, but ballooned a forehand long to lose it.
Everything happened quickly from there as Alcaraz proved his “King Carlos” status again.
Fritz was highly impressive in defeat and has established himself in the same second tier as world No.3 Alex Zverev, behind the new Big Three – Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic.
Earlier, Australia’s Olivia Gadecki could not match compatriot Rinky Hijikata in reaching the Wimbledon doubles final. She and American partner Desirae Krawczyk went down 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 to eighth seeds Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova in their women’s semi-final.
Marc McGowan travelled to Wimbledon with the assistance of Tennis Australia.
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