Two-time defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated British qualifier Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the third round in London.
The second-seeded Spaniard struck 38 winners, saved nine of 11 break points and extended his winning streak at the All England Club to 16 matches. His overall winning streak has reached a career-best 20 matches.
“When I step on the court I am just trying to enjoy,” Alcaraz said after the win. “It doesn’t matter if I am winning or losing. That is the key for the past two or three months, having a great consecutive winning streak, and I am just enjoying.”
It was only the second career match on the ATP Tour for the 21-year-old Tarvet, ranked No. 733 in the world.
“I have to give praise to Oliver … I just love his game, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “The level he played in the first match on Centre Court, which I know is really difficult, he showed great tennis. I knew at the beginning I had to be really focused, had to play my best tennis. Today I played just great tennis and I am really happy with my game today.”
No. 5 Taylor Fritz rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (0), 4-6, 6-3 victory over Canada’s Gabriel Diallo.
Both players slugged out aces with Fritz holding a 27-26 edge. Diallo had a 55-50 edge in winners but he racked up 50 errors compared to just 16 for Fritz.
“I kind of felt like that’s the way the match was going,” said Fritz, saying he didn’t do much wrong. “I was going to have to play near-perfect when I got my opportunities. Really happy to get through.”
It wasn’t all bad news for the home fans as unseeded local favorite Cameron Norrie recorded a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 victory over 12th-seeded Frances Tiafoe.
Norrie won 76 percent of his first serves, highlighted by 17 aces, to finish the match in just under three hours.
“I was really happy when I saw the schedule,” Norrie said. “I saw I was on Court One and that’s my favorite court. It’s an amazing atmosphere and we both played a really high level.
“It’s so special. You forget so quickly. You just feel goosebumps. It’s such a special court and such a special tournament. I just walked out and smiled as much as I could.”
Norrie proved to be the better closer, winning the last two games in the second set, the last three in the third and the last three in the fourth.
Also on Wednesday, 18-year-old Joao Fonseca of Brazil posted a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jenson Brooksby to become the youngest male to reach the third round since Bernard Tomic in 2011. Fonseca advanced to face qualifier Nicolas Jarry, who secured a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over 19-year-old Learner Tien.
No. 14 seed Andrey Rublev and No. 17 Karen Khachanov advanced. Rublev defeated South African Lloyd Harris 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3 and Khachanov outlasted Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 1-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Italy’s Mattia Bellucci recorded a 7-6 (4), 6-1, 7-5 victory over No. 23 Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, while No. 29 Brandon Nakashima posted a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 win over China’s Yunchaokete Bu.
Two matches were suspended due to darkness. No. 26 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain is leading Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 with their fourth set tied at 5-5. Also, Italy’s Luciano Darden held a 6-4, 6-3 lead over Brit Arthur Fery.
Other winners included Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, Portugal’s Nuno Borges, Australia’s Jordan Thompson and Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.
–Field Level Media
