Carlos Alcaraz saved five match point, recovered from two very poor sets, and fought to the end. It was a remarkable comeback for him at Wimbledon center. It was a terrible day. The kind that you row and pray and where one side gets everything while you get nothing. It was a defeat against Jannik Sinner (6-1 6-4, 66-7 (8), and 6-3), but it left you with the hope that this is just the beginning of many battles, and that the center court will be receiving many more in the future to Alcaraz.
This Sunday’s performance was not the best. There were 39 unforced mistakes, five dropped shots missed, and only half the points won. Worst of all was the ineffectiveness in the points for ‘break’. Alcaraz failed to break Sinner’s serve in any of the seven chances he had. He was defeated by a mole because the transalpine was able escape with his service at all hot moments.
He didn’t need many solutions for the first two sets. Sinner was a masterful performer, with a veteran appearance that was uncharacteristic of him. He also wanted to prove that the alcaraz praise that has been heaped on him in recent months is not deserved. Sinner was magnificent here, and he deserved the chance to conquer the public like he did to the Spanish. His first two sets were a wake up call. It was a tennis swell, which sent a message both to his opponent and to tennis. “Alcaraz is great, me too.”
The Italian has yet to find a point of cooking that will allow him to solve the problem quickly. Sinner, who was close to winning, began to lose ground and to fail more. He committed 12 unforced errors in the third set, adding first and second to make it thirteen. Alcaraz won the match and led it to a dramatic tie-break. This alone made it worth the entry to the match.
Murcian held a 6-3 lead, but lost three of the four sets and ran into two match point against. They were thrown in by Sinner, embolic and allowed Alcaraz a spectacular jump at the net and drag exchange to reach the set that got him into the match.
The public was there to witness his euphoria. Sinner fought through the torrential rain to win the rare opportunity to return from two sets down. He fought through three excellent first games by Alcaraz and established himself once more as an imperial player. He was placed at 4-1 and won when he reached 5-2. At that point, he had three more match points and served for the match. Alcaraz was eliminated at the final break point and he won the match with a forehand crosscourt middlecourt. He will be playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Alcaraz was unable to become the thirteenth Spaniard in the history of the tournament by the transalpine, and he rushed to the table to claim his place as the hope for the future. Sinner is also present and this Sunday’s match is only the beginning of a fight which promises to bring tennis much joy. Soon, Alcaraz’s players will be here.
