LONDON, July 13, 2024, 10:39 AM – Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia are set to face off in the Wimbledon finals once again after their respective semifinal victories on Friday.

Reigning champion Alcaraz, 21, defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev despite losing the first set. After his recent French Open win, Alcaraz elevated his game, overcoming Medvedev with scores of 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m feeling great and confident heading into the final,” Alcaraz said.

Djokovic, 37, who recently had knee surgery, beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti to secure his 10th Wimbledon final. Musetti had previously challenged Djokovic at the French Open, pushing him to five sets.

“I wasn’t thinking about the title at first, just moving well and staying injury-free,” Djokovic said. “Now, I feel like I’m playing close to my best.”

The highly anticipated final will take place on Sunday.

(ia/mnm/PNA/Xinhua)

ANKARA – Carlos Alcaraz secured the 2024 French Open men’s singles title on Sunday (10 June 2024) by defeating Alexander Zverev 3-2.

The 21-year-old, ranked third in the world, captured his first Roland Garros title by overcoming the fourth-ranked Zverev with scores of 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, and 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The intense five-set match extended over four hours and 19 minutes.

Alcaraz’s victory marks a historic achievement, making him the youngest player ever to win major titles on hard courts (US Open 2022), grass courts (Wimbledon 2023), and clay courts (French Open 2024).

“Winning each Grand Slam for the first time is incredibly special,” Alcaraz remarked.

(el Ami/Anadolu/PNA)

PARIS – Carlos Alcaraz of Spain has reached his first French Open final after a grueling five-set battle against Jannik Sinner on Friday (08 June 2024).

Alcaraz, a two-time Grand Slam champion, triumphed 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match that lasted four hours and nine minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. This victory makes the 21-year-old the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final on all three surfaces.

“I hope to play many, many more matches like this one against Jannik, but it’s one of the toughest I’ve played for sure,” said Alcaraz. “I’m really happy about everything I did today. I waited for my moment until I took it.”

In the final, Alcaraz will face Alexander Zverev, who overcame two-time runner-up Casper Ruud. Zverev, seeded fourth, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, avenging his semifinal loss to Ruud 12 months ago. This victory marks Zverev’s second Grand Slam final appearance, following three consecutive semifinal exits at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz, aiming to become the youngest man to win Grand Slam titles on clay, grass, and hard courts, previously claimed the US Open title in 2022 on a hard court and the Wimbledon title in 2023 on grass. Zverev, 27, holds a slight edge over Alcaraz with a 5-4 career record, including a win in their only previous Roland Garros encounter in the 2022 quarterfinals.

(ia/mnm/Source: Xinhua/PNA)