Carlos Alcaraz looks to book his spot in the Wimbledon final for the second year running on Friday but must beat Daniil Medvedev to get there. The anticipated matchup with Jannik Sinner will have to wait after Medvedev’s shock win on Tuesday. A loss for Alcaraz here would see him fall to No. 5 in the rankings due to the points the Russian would gain with this victory.
Medvedev put in an impressive performance to defeat Sinner in five sets, taking advantage of the World No.1’s illness. It did look like he was going to blow he match after dropping the fourth but he bounced back, breaking early on his way to securing the 6-7 6-4 7-6 2-6 6-3 win. He hit 55 winners overall, showing off the much needed intensity to take the match to the Italian.
Alcaraz recovered from a poor start to come through in four sets against Tommy Paul. The American once again made things difficult for the defending champion but his inability to defend his serve proved fatal with Alcaraz securing a 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-2 win. “At the beginning, the first set and the beginning of the second set, it kind of felt like I was playing on clay. Big rallies, 10 to 15 shots every point. So I had to stay strong mentally when I lost the first set. It was difficult for me a little bit, but I knew it was a long journey, a long match, and I just had to stay there. I’m really happy to find the solutions and the good path.” he said after.
Medvedev does look to have finally figured out grass, moving up the court and playing more aggressively than previous. He is a stellar defender still but will have a different threat from Alcaraz, who will mix things up and employ the drop shot regularly like in their previous matchups. The current head-to-head is 4-2 in Alcaraz’s favour, with four of the last five matches not even being particularly competitive on Medvedev’s part. It’s a tough matchup and Alcaraz will be highly motivated to defend his title and have the opportunity to thwart a Novak Djokovic record breaking win once more.
Prediction – Carlos Alcaraz in four sets
