Carlos Alcaraz outlasted American Frances Tiafoe to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon after a five-set Centre Court thriller on Friday.
Tiafoe led the defending champion by two sets to one, only to let him off the hook in a dramatic and high-level clash on a rainy day in London.
It was a repeat of their epic five-setter in the semi-finals of the 2022 US Open, which Alcaraz won on the way to his first Grand Slam title.
The 21-year-old Spaniard is now one step closer to a fourth major crown after avoiding a shock third-round exit with a 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 triumph.
“Obviously it was a big challenge against Frances, he’s really tough to face and we saw it once again,” said Alcaraz.
“It was really difficult for me to adapt my game, find solutions and put him in trouble.
“I suffered a lot of difficult moments in the fourth set, and I was thinking ‘fight one more ball’. In the tie-break I tell myself I have to go for it. If I lose it, I lose it.”
Tiafoe’s performance was especially remarkable given he was wearing a knee support to protect the injury he suffered when slipping over at Queen’s which put his Wimbledon participation in doubt.
Yet at the start of a hugely entertaining match he grabbed the decisive break his superb returning deserved to take the first set.
Alcaraz hit back in the second but some odd lapses of concentration in the third gifted Tiafoe two break points, with the 26-year-old taking the first after another exhibition-style rally when the Spaniard’s ‘tweener’ floated out.
Alcaraz wriggled out of a hole at 4-4, 0-30 in the fourth, sealing the hold with an ace. He dominated the subsequent tie-break to take a breathless match into a decider.
A slip on the baseline seemed to knock the stuffing out of Tiafoe who suddenly felt his damaged knee, however, with Alcaraz quickly securing a double break and finishing with a drop shot to secure his place in the fourth round.
Others into the fourth round with victories on a rainy day were French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini, No 19 seed Emma Navarro – the American who eliminated Naomi Osaka earlier in the week – and 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys in the women's bracket, and No 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov and No 12 Tommy Paul in the men's draw.
Former US Open champion and British wildcard Emma Raducanu dominated Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari, beating her 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round where she will face qualifier Lulu Sun.
Second seed Coco Gauff beat British qualifier Sonay Kartal 6-4, 6-0 to reach the fourth round, where she will play fellow American Navarro.
Paolini continued to carry the flag for Italian tennis as the seventh seed beat former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu 7-6, 6-1 to make the fourth round for the first time. The French Open runner-up, who also reached the last 16 at the Australian Open this season, became the first woman from her nation to make the second week at each of the first three Grand Slams in a single year.
"It's strange. When I was watching the (Italian) girls that were winning slams, making finals, I felt like they were so far from me, you know? It's something I'm proud of, but it sounds strange a little bit," Paolini said.
"Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, I think. They played an amazing level for many years. It's great to have this achievement."
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Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
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Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
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Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
ARGYLLE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
SPECS
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Fixtures
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Honeymoonish
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
