Alcaraz muscles past Fritz to reach Wimbledon final

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Twice defending champion Carlos Alcaraz tamed the towering Taylor Fritz to reach his third straight Wimbledon final, rediscovering his A-game when it mattered most to battle past the American in a 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6(6) victory on Friday.

Eyeing a sixth Grand Slam title, the Spaniard was eventually too strong for the metronomically consistent Fritz, whose biggest weapons were still not damaging enough to unsettle the second seed under a fiery sun on Centre Court.

Alcaraz's victory set the stage for a tantalising final against either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, who will duel it out in the second semi-final on Friday.

Fritz broke Alcaraz for the first and only occasion to take the second set as the Spaniard's intensity levels dropped, but the champion quickly regained the upper hand, breaking twice in the third set and coming through a tense tiebreak to clinch victory.

More from Sports

  • Mateta fires Crystal Palace to Conference League crown

    Crystal Palace claimed their first European trophy on Wednesday as Jean-Philippe Mateta’s second-half goal secured a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Conference League, the perfect farewell for manager Oliver Glasner.

  • Swiatek, Djokovic make steady progress as Rybakina slips up

    Iga Swiatek stayed cool in sweltering conditions while Novak Djokovic was given a stern test before reaching the third round of the French Open, but world number two Elena Rybakina was unable to avoid an early exit on Wednesday.

  • Erratic Swiatek reaches French Open round three

    World number three Iga Swiatek continued her bid to rediscover her best form at the French Open on Wednesday, reaching the third round with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Czech Sara Bejlek in a match littered with unforced errors.

  • Sinner eases into French Open second round

    World number one Jannik Sinner started his campaign for a maiden French Open title in merciless fashion, beating Frenchman Clement Tabur 6-1 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round on Tuesday.

  • Bengaluru secure IPL final berth after win over Gujarat

    Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into the Indian Premier League (IPL) final with a commanding 92-run win over Gujarat Titans in qualifier one, powered by captain Rajat Patidar's unbeaten 93 that moved the defending champions closer to a second successive title.