Wimbledon: Alcaraz overcomes Matteo to set up QF clash with Rune

LONDON: Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz made it to the quarterfinal stage of the ongoing Wimbledon competition for the first time ever after a win over 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini on Monday.

Alcaraz won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3, withstanding an early onslaught from Matteo, a solid player on grass surfaces. He lost the first set, but once Spaniard found his rhythm, there was no looking back in the three-hour, four-minute match.

"I knew that it was going to be really tough," Alcaraz said in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP.

"Matteo is a great player. He made the final here on grass, so I know he is playing great. Of course, it is not easy after losing the first set. I knew I would have my chances. I needed to stay focussed and to stay there and [that is] something I am working on, to stay focussed, not lose my mind and I think I did great in that part and [I am] really happy to come back and play a great match," he added.

Alcaraz will play Holger Rune in the quarterfinal, a battle of the next generation of tennis players.

"The young guys reaching their dreams," Alcaraz said.

"Coming here and playing a quarter-final together is something great for tennis. Of course with Holger, we said at lots of tournaments when we were 12 years old, we grew up together, passing all the categories, playing great tournaments, so playing a quarter-final at a Grand Slam against him is something great and that I am going to enjoy," he added.

The 20-year-old started the grass court season, having played only six tour-level matches on this surface. But he has played all nine Grass matches this year and is three wins away from his maiden title in London.

On the other hand, Rune overcame Grigor Dimitrov by 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the tournament quarterfinals for the first time ever as well.

The 20-year-old, making his second Wimbledon appearance, was one set down but fought back hard to win the next three sets to earn his just second top 30 win on the grass courts. The clash lasting three hours, and 20 minutes was a heavy-hitting one, with Rune's aggression standing out.

"Today was a crazy match," Rune said.

"Grigor is an incredible player and he pushed me to the limit. We both pushed each other. I think it was a great match and a tough match. I fight until the end always. That is what I focus on, especially when I am in a tough situation. I tell myself that there is Wimbledon once a year, so I am going to fight so I have a chance to win," he concluded.

The defending champion Novak Djokovic on Monday needed plenty of hard work to defeat spirited Hubert Hurkacz to advance to the Wimbledon 2023 quarterfinals.

The seven-time champion defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(6), 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 after taking the first two sets on Sunday evening. 16 hours later, the seven-time champion returned to Centre Court and lost the third set.

"Big credit to Hubert for playing an amazing match, tough luck for him today. But he put up a great performance. Honestly, I don't recall the last time I felt this miserable in returning games, to be honest, due to his incredibly accurate and powerful serve," ATP.com quoted Djokovic as saying in his on-court interview.

"He's got one of the best serves in the world and it's so difficult to read it. Playing obviously on the quickest surface in [the] sport, grass court, it really favours big servers. So it was not really [an] enjoyable match for me, I must say," Djokovic said.

Continuing his impressive performance on the grass court, Christopher Eubanks showed no signs of slowing down as he pulled off a stunning upset against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, advancing to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2023.

Eubanks defeated the Greek 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match controlled by serves and short, crisp rallies to secure his ninth straight tour-level victory.

"I feel like I'm living a dream right now. This is absolutely insane. When you paint all of the context... I've tried so much to just block everything out and focus on the next match, as cliche as it sounds, but [reaching my first major quarter-final] is surreal. I can't believe it," said an elated Eubanks in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP.com.

Eubanks' ability to be ruthless with his opportunities on return was crucial to his victory on No. 2 Court. After Tsitsipas double-faulted to give him the winning break in the ninth game of the fourth set, the American, who had not earned a single break point in the first three sets, twice powered clean backhand down-the-line winners to convert break points in the decider, capping a historic three-hour, four-minute victory. (ANI)