The number one in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, beat Matteo Berrettini (N.38) in a duel of titans on Monday and qualified for the first time in his career for the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon tournament.
The 20-year-old Spaniard needed three hours and a lot of determination to overcome the dangerous Italian, a finalist at Wimbledon in 2021, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and 6-3 on center court at the London All England Club.
Both players displayed strokes of genius and some nerve in a gladiatorial battle on English grass that ended with the roof closed for lack of light at dusk.
This is the third participation of the Spaniard in Wimbledon. In 2021 he fell in the second round and in 2022 he did it in the round of 16.
Despite not being a grass specialist, his recent victory at the prestigious English tournament at Queen’s placed him as a great favorite for an eventual final against Novak Djokovic, world number 2 and current Wimbledon champion.
The 36-year-old Serb is aiming to lift this cup for the eighth time, and the fifth in a row, equaling Roger Federer’s record.
But before being able to dream of that possible final, revenge of the loss in June against Djokovic on the ground of Paris, Alcaraz will have to face the young Dane Holger Rune in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, who eliminated the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in three hours and 21 minutes by 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) and 6-3.