Carlos Alcaraz’s latest up and down Wimbledon performance began with the removal of the set. Later on Sunday, he was no longer able to fall behind in the third time. And, as he often does, Alcaraz grabbed the moment, produced magic and approached his third consecutive title at the All England Club.
Alcaraz extended his winning streak in the Grass Court Grand Slam Tournament to 18 matches, running the current unbeaten event to 22nd innings, returning to the 14th seed Andreil Brev 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and centre court to the quarter-finals.
Second seed Alkaraz won his 75th major match victory on 87 occasions. This is 75 major wins to Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe as the fastest men in the open era.
In the first matchup of two weeks between two men ranked in the top 20, Alcaraz pulled out his best 3-2 in the third set. First, he had to dodge Rublev’s chances for a break, and he had to do so with the winner of the forehand pass.
After finally holding three, Alkaraz gained an opportunity for his own break and did not let Rublev escape. In an eight-stroke exchange, Alcaraz sprinted from the corner of the court to the other corner, stomping on his right foot and a little slide, and he flicked the cross-court forehand winner.
Alkaraz spread his arms wide open, pointing to his right ear, worshipping with the loud voice of the crowd, bouncing off the underside of the stadium’s closed roof.
Rublev sat in his sideline chair, looked up at his guest box and made a “OK” hand signal. After just 10 minutes, the set belongs to Alcaraz. Alcaraz will face 2022 semi-finalist Cam Nolly on Tuesday for the semi-final berth.
“I’ve always said it was about believing in yourself. It doesn’t matter that you love from one set,” Alcaraz said. “Tennis is a sport that can be changed for just one point. One point can completely change the game and turn everything around.”
At 22, Alcaraz already owns five Grand Slam trophies, making his second match before his 23rd birthday, chasing after Boris Becker’s 13.
He has not lost a match against Holga Rune in the final at Barcelona since April 20th.
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.