Carlos Alcaraz continued his unblemished start at Wimbledon on Friday with a straight-sets win over Alexandre Muller on Centre Court. The world No 1 is seen as Novak Djokovic’s main challenger for the title, and his latest commanding display keeps the pressure on the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Alcaraz threatened to take the bull by the horns in the very first game as he earned break point against Muller, and although the Frenchman recovered to hold serve, it was a sign that things weren’t going to be easy.
An amazing exchange of volleys at the net was won by Alcaraz early in the match, providing a boost for a player already brimming with confidence, and he had the Centre Court crowd oohing and aahing with a series of perfectly-judged lobs and deft drop-shots.
Muller wasn’t there merely to make up the numbers, however, as he had three break points in the fourth game of the match. But Alcaraz found an extra gear to recover and find a crucial break, taking the first set 6-3.
The reigning US Open champion found his range in the second set, with the drop shot proving particularly effective, but Muller kept it competitive and rarely got runover on Alcaraz’s serve.
Eventually it went all the way to a tiebreak, where Alcaraz demonstrated a quality possessed by all the great champions – the ability to dig deep in the big moments – as he dominated to take it 7-2 and seal the second set.
More hard-fought action in the third forced Alcaraz to wait patiently for his chance, and the break finally came when he made it 5-3, presenting him with a golden opportunity to serve out for the match. The Spaniard took it without hesitation, coming through 6-4 7-6 6-3 in just over two-and-a-half hours.
With his eyes firmly on the prize, the 20-year-old will face either 25th seed Nicolas Jarry or Australian Jason Kubler in the third round, while Djokovic faces Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka in a bid to continue his own quest for glory at the All England Club.
Alcaraz’s win kick-started a huge day on Centre Court with fans set to be entertained by Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Iga Swiatek and Djokovic.
“I’m really, really happy,” Alcaraz told the BBC after the game. “It’s my second match on Centre Court. The first one, I lost last year. I’m really happy to play here again. I wanted to enjoy every single second and I did that.
“It’s really important to start tournaments well. I’m playing really well on grass. I’m not as experienced as other players but I think I’m playing at a great level, and playing here at Wimbledon is something special. It feels different to other tournaments.”
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