Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz held off a battling Taylor Fritz in a thrilling fourth-set tie-break to reach the Wimbledon final and stay on course for a third successive title.
The world number two produced all the high-quality facets of his game, from powerful serves to hitting shots of unreturnable quality and riding through high-pressure moments, to win 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6 (8-6)
It was a display that underlines he will be a tough man to beat in Sunday’s final, where he will either once again face Novak Djokovic – who he has beaten to the trophy in the past two years – or world number one Jannik Sinner.
Half of Fritz’s career wins have come on grass and he did well to hang in there with Alcaraz, giving his all to try to take the match to a decisive fifth set.
At one stage that looked like happening as Fritz took five successive points in the tie-break, but Alcaraz dug deep to save two set points before holding his nerve to fight back for a win that he celebrated by holding out his arms and roaring to the sky.
“It was a really difficult match. It was tough with the conditions, really hot,” he said.
“I am just happy in the four sets, saving two set points. I am really proud about the way I stayed calm.
“I am really pleased about my level today.”
The win extended Alcaraz’s winning run to 24 matches and he added: “This is my dream, stepping on these kind of courts and playing these beautiful courts at the most beautiful tournaments in the world. That is all I try to think about.
“I don’t want to think about Sunday, I just want to think about this moment.”
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