Alcaraz quells Struff to march on at Wimbledon, Sabalenka sees off Raducanu

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LONDON - Defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz was given another tough litmus test by plucky German Jan-Lennard Struff but the second seed battled his way to a 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory and reached the fourth round on July 4.

An off-colour Alcaraz had flirted with danger in his five-set opener against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini before mowing down British hope Oliver Tarvet in the last round, begging the question of which avatar of the Spaniard would turn up.

The 22-year-old, who was taken the distance by Struff before winning their meeting at the All England Club in 2022, began the match with a double fault and sprayed errors on Centre Court but rediscovered his rhythm to book a clash with Andrey Rublev.

“I knew that it was going to be really, really difficult,” Alcaraz said. “I had to be really focused on every side, on my service games and the return.

“His game suits the grass - big serves, getting to the net as much as he can. So I’m just really pleased about everything that I’ve done today, fighting, running, making great shots.

“I tried to make the most of the opportunities he gave me in the match and I’m proud about getting the win in four sets.”

Alcaraz saved two breakpoints in his second service game and then broke for a 3-1 lead, gaining the foothold he needed in the match before wrapping up the opening stanza on serve, hitting a huge ace on set point.

But in a Jekyll and Hyde type switch, with shadows engulfing the main showcourt, the five-times Grand Slam winner surrendered the next set as Struff recovered an early break and went on to level the match comfortably.

An untimely double fault from Struff in the second game of the third set gave Alcaraz the platform to re-establish his lead and the twice Wimbledon champion never looked back from there until he closed it out with another big serve.

“I was suffering in every service game that I did... 0-30s and breakpoints down. It was stressful. Every time he could push me, he did. I was trying to survive,” Alcaraz said.

After going to deuce in each of his first four service games in the fourth set, Alcaraz pounced on Struff's sloppiness at the net when the German missed a simple volley, before pulling away with a break and completing his 21st straight tour-level win.

“He missed that volley... I still can’t believe that I’m standing here 6-4,” Alcaraz added.

Sabalenka survives

Later on July 4, Aryna Sabalenka’s survival instincts kicked in to secure a hard-fought 7-6(6) 6-4 third-round win over Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Raducanu surged to a 4-2 lead in the first set and was again up 4-1 in the second.

The 22-year-old kept her Belarusian opponent guessing with her breathtaking shot-making that earned her a break in the fifth game to the delight of the 15,000-strong crowd who roared on every Raducanu winner and cheered on every Sabalenka error.

Although Sabalenka, the sole survivor among the top six women’s seeds, gained back the break, she was left shell-shocked when she missed seven set, and break, points at 5-4 on Raducanu’s serve, with the Briton serving her way out of trouble.

At the eighth time of asking, in the tiebreak, Sabalenka finally silenced the crowd when she produced a stop volley to bag the set, her achievement being greeted by only a smattering of applause.

Raducanu, who has spent a long time in the tennis wilderness following her remarkable win at the US Open in 2021 as a qualifier, wanted to prove that she was back to her best by following up her win over 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova with victory over Sabalenka.

When she surged into a 4-1 lead in the second, and was one point away from taking a 5-1 lead, it seemed that she might pull off one of the most improbable wins against an opponent who has contested the last three Grand Slam finals.

But it was not meant to be as Sabalenka turned on the power to win the last five games and extinguish Raducanu’s hopes of reaching the fourth round for the third time, with the Briton netting a service return on match point.

The top seed will next face Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who earlier beat Ukrainian 14th seed Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-6(4). REUTERS

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