Carlos Alcaraz extended his Wimbledon winning streak to nine matches on Wednesday when he rose to the occasion to record a comfortable straight sets victory over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic.
From 5-2 up in the first set, the third seed narrowly lost trailing 5-6. However, under pressure, Alcaraz quickly broke back to force a break and from then on it was one-way traffic, with the Spaniard advancing 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2.
“I’m very happy with my performance,” said Alcaraz. “I think the first set was the key. He worked for the set and I broke again after playing a very good break. I played at a very high level in the second and third sets, so I’m very happy with it.”
Defending champion in status 🚀@carlosalcaraz edging out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2" |" pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz
– ATP Tour (@atptour) July 3, 2024
In 2020, World No. 69 Vukic defeats then-17-year-old Alcaraz in Roland Garros qualifier. Almost four years on and the task at hand was tough for the Australian on the grass at Wimbledon, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.
The 21-year-old has now won three times and played his longest match with a one-hour, 48-minute, second-round victory over Vukic. Alcaraz used his featherweight to great effect to send the Australian reeling around the court, as he hit a hard forehand to defeat Vukic in a semi-final under the roof of Court No. 1.
Alcaraz, who hit 40 winners in her victory, has advanced to the third round at Wimbledon for the third year in a row. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented PIF champion will continue to fight for her third trophy of the season when she meets Frances Tiafoe in the third round.
“We played a great match at the US Open,” Alcaraz said when asked about Tiafoe. “I know he’s a really good player and it’s going to be tough here on the grass. Good performance, good volley. It’s going to be a tough match for me but I’m ready for that challenge.”
The American, who lost to Alcaraz in five sets in the 2022 US Open semi-finals, downed Croatia’s Borna Coric 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-3 to make it back-to-back wins at the tour-level event just. third time this season.
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