LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz continued to watch his Wimbledon title match against defending champion Novak Djokovic on Wednesday as Ons Jabeur avenged her painful defeat in last year’s final.
World number one Spaniard Alcaraz put on superb form as he overcame friend Holger Rune 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev. .
Alcaraz only faced one break point in the entire quarterfinals, which he beat, hitting 35 winners with 13 optional fouls.
“Honestly, it was amazing for me,” Alcaraz said. «It’s been a dream since I started playing tennis.»
The US Open champion, who is now on a 10-game winning streak on the pitch, was delighted with the performance against his 20-year-old colleague.
“I am playing at a great level. I didn’t expect to play at such a great level on this surface,» he said. “For me, it was crazy.”
He said he found it difficult to start the match, especially with Rune on the other side of the net.
«But once you get to the quarterfinals there are no friends,» he added. «You have to focus on yourself and I think I did a good job in that part.»
Alcaraz is the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals since Djokovic in 2007 but the next match on Friday is a tough encounter with third seed Medvedev.
The Russian overcame a tough test from unseeded American Christopher Eubanks to win 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6 -first.
Eubanks, who shocked fifth-placed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round, is trying to become the third to reach the semi-finals on his debut.
However, the challenge of the 27-year-old boy failed in the final stage of a thrilling and thrilling competition.
Medvedev said he was wary of Alcaraz’s power.
«If you give him an easy hit, you could be in trouble,» he said.
«There’s a good chance you’ll land a winner, like Novak (Djokovic) or Rafa (Nadal) – you feel like you have a chance to take this shot.
“But with Carlos, you won’t get this. A shot is sometimes brutal.”
Jabeur’s Revenge
In the 2022 title repeat, sixth-seeded Tunisian Jabeur came back to beat defending champion Elena Rybakina 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Both players broke twice in the first set before the third seed Kazakhstan made the tie-break.
But Rybakina cracked in the 10th game of the second set, helping Jabeur level the match and the Tunisian maintained the momentum to win like a storm.
«Crazy match, tough match but I’m glad I won this time,» the 28-year-old said, admitting she wasn’t able to witness last year’s defeat because it was too painful.
«I wasn’t ready to play this kind of match (last year),» she said. “I have no regrets about last year. It happens for a reason. I always say that.
“It means this year. It means getting to the quarterfinals. I learned a lot from last year’s final. Definitely very proud of myself for the progress I’ve made mentally, physically and with the tennis racket.»
Jabeur will face world number two Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles semifinal on Thursday.
The Belarusian reached her second Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Madison Keys of the United States.
A double break secured the first set and Sabalenka, who has been beaten in the last four by Karolina Pliskova in 2021, dug herself out of the hole 4-2, 40-0 in the second set. .
Sabalenka was banned from the 2022 tournament after the invasion of Ukraine, along with all the Russian and Belarusian players.
Belarus is an important ally of Moscow.
“When I was a little girl, I dreamed of winning Wimbledon,” she added. “There is something special here.”
Ukrainian wild card Elina Svitolina will meet unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova in the remaining women’s semi-final on Thursday. – AFP
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