Tops
Against Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz won the first Wimbledon quarter-final contested between two under-21 players in the Open era. In pattern and in three sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-4. The world number one signed 35 winning points, against 26 for his opponent and was the most regular with only 13 unforced errors (against 13 for the Dane). The 20-year-old prodigy takes care of his stats by becoming the youngest player to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon since Novak Djokovic in 2007 (also 20 years old but a few days younger than him). He also joins Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe who had also played three halves in the Grand Slam under 21 years old. Above all, he continues his accelerated learning on grass by signing a tenth consecutive success.
As at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, Aryna Sabalenka is in the last four at Wimbledon, for the second time after 2021. She mastered the American Madison Keys, 18th player in the world, without shaking too much ( 6-2, 6-4) and less than an hour and a half. The American suffocated by the power and aggressiveness of the world number 2 who won the last four games of the match and who committed few faults (14). Now the tournament favorite after the eliminations of Swiatek and Rybakina, the Belarusian will become world number one next week if they beat Ons Jabeur on Thursday.
Beaten in the final of the 2022 edition by Elena Rybakina, the Tunisian took her revenge on the number 3 seed on Wednesday (6-7, 6-4, 6-1). More creative, more enterprising, the seeded 6 had 34 winning shots for only 17 unforced errors. Led 7-6, 4-4, she then won five consecutive games to overthrow the Kazakh. The defending finalist reaches her third Grand Slam semi-final. With the sweet dream of winning his favorite tournament.
The Christopher Eubanks tornado blew again on Court 1 on Wednesday and nearly took Daniil Medvedev. The world number 3, who had the merit of not folding, came out in five sets and 2:58 (6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1). A little nervous at the start of the match, the surprise guest quickly gave up his service and the set, before uninhibiting himself and playing exceptional tennis, ideal on grass with serves and volleys and forehand shots at everything is fine. Author of 74 winning strokes, the American lost the thread a little in the tie-break of the 4th set where the experience of the Russian prevailed. And blunt let go in the final round. The winner of the US Open 2021 committed only 13 unforced errors in five sets. Which is to say that Eubanks had a hell of a match and ignited Wimbledon (almost) until the end, breaking a record of winning strokes (321) for his first Wimbledon.
Flops
Ons Jabeur was the most creative against defending champion Rybakina, tamed in three sets. And the most realistic. With five break opportunities converted out of 9 when the defending champion missed seven of her nine break opportunities, including five in the 2nd and 3rd sets. Those missed at 3-1 in the 3rd act finally got the better of her. Also out of first serves (57% success on first serves and 65% of points converted only), the world number 3 summed up: “She made better decisions on the pitch than last year. I also had a lot of opportunities this time, especially in the second set. I felt that my service was not very good. It’s my main weapon and it didn’t work very well. A title holder more lucid in front of the press than on the court this Wednesday.
Faced with the amazing Chris Eubanks, Daniil Medvedev conceded seven consecutive games between the second and the third set. Frustrated with how the match went, the hot-blooded Russian, trailing two sets to one, had a moody gesture sending a ball back into the crowd at 3–4 against them in the fourth act. A bad gesture logically sanctioned with a warning. “You played tennis until you were ten years old or something, I told you how you talk to me” then shouted the Russian to the referee who did not react.
The shock of the phenomena of 20 did not really take place. At the end of a meeting that was generally controlled, Carlos Alcaraz calmed the ardor of Holger Rune during their first Grand Slam duel. The world number 1 has never been pushed to his limits by his friend and rival on the Center Court. Holger Rune had confessed that he was still far from the level of the Spaniard. It happened on Wednesday. His opponent admitted that he was anxious to play his childhood friend Holger Rune, in a game with so much at stake and on a surface where he is still learning. This has not been seen, however. It was the winner of the Rolex Paris Masters 2022 who displayed the most nervousness. In a very tight first set concluded in the tie-break, his double fault at 3-3 cost him dearly and definitely uninhibited the kid from Murcia.