Carlos Alcaraz stops Novak Djokovic's tie-break winning run in Wimbledon final
Carlos Alcaraz ended Novak Djokovic's tie-break winning streak during the ongoing Wimbledon final.
The two are locking horns for the third time and the Serb started the match in the best possible manner, winning the opening set 6-1. However, Alcaraz held his nerve in the second and produced some fine tennis to take it to a tie-break.
The Spaniard saved a set point before winning it 8-6 to level the match. Alcaraz thus became the first player since France's Enzo Couacaud in the Australian Open to win a tie-break against Djokovic. The Serbian star had won 15 tie-breakers in a row before coming up short against Alcaraz, which is the second-longest streak in the Open Era.
All in all, Carlos Alcaraz is only the third player to win a tie-break against Djokovic in 2023, with Sebastian Korda previously claiming one against the 36-year-old during the Adelaide International final
1 - Carlos Alcaraz is the first player to win a Grand Slam tie-break against Novak Djokovic since Enzo Couacaud at the Australian Open - Djokovic won the previous 15, the second-longest such winning streak in the Open Era. Break.
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Alcaraz leads by two sets to one at the time of writing, having won the third set 6-1.
Carlos Alcaraz has won 11 out of 15 tie-breaks in 2023
Carlos Alcaraz has won 11 out of 15 tie-breaks so far during the 2023 season. Nicolas Jarry is the only player to win multiple tie-breaks against the Spaniard, coming out on top at the Rio Open and most recently, during the third round of Wimbledon. Others who have won tie-breaks against Alcaraz include Fabio Fognini in the Rio Open and Fabian Marozsan in the Italian Open.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season so far with 46 wins out of 50 matches, with five titles to his name. His first triumph came at the Argentina Open with a win over Cameron Norrie in the final. He then won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells by beating Daniil Medvedev in the title clash.
Alcaraz won two titles on clay at the Barcelona Open and Madrid Open, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jan-Lennard Struff in the finals, respectively. His fifth title of the 2023 season came at the Cinch Championships in London, triumphing over Alex de Minaur in the title clash.
If Alcaraz beats Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, he will become only the third Spaniard to win the grass-court Major, the others being Manuel Santana and Rafael Nadal.
Victory for the Serb will see him equal Margaret Court's record for the most number of Grand Slam singles titles. He will, in that case, also set a new record for the highest number of Major singles titles in the Open Era.