Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated close friend Frances Tiafoe in a roller-coaster five sets to reach the Wimbledon last 16 on Friday as Jannik Sinner and Coco Gauff breezed through.
Alcaraz won 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 on the back of 16 aces in his 55 winners in a Centre Court thriller that stretched to the best part of four hours
“Always a big challenge playing against Frances,” admitted Alcaraz, who was also pushed to five sets by the American in the semi-finals of the 2022 US Open on his way to a first Grand Slam title.
“He is a really talented player, really tough to face.”
Alcaraz, who is bidding to become only the sixth man to capture the French Open and Wimbledon titles back-to-back, has now reached the last 16 of a Slam for the 10th time.
Alcaraz and Tiafoe exchanged a warm embrace at the net.
“Just ultimate respect. Him just saying, ‘It’s good to see you play like that.’ Me just saying, ‘I can’t stand you,” joked the American.
World number three Alcaraz will next take on either Ugo Humbert of France or Brandon Nakashima of the United States.
That match was one of four men’s third-round clashes that could not be completed due to heavy rain in London.
World number one Sinner needed just 96 minutes to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
Australian Open champion Sinner, a beaten semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2023, will next face either Canada’s Denis Shapovalov or Ben Shelton of the United States.
The win was Sinner’s 41st this season, taking him past the 40 of Casper Ruud.
Women’s world number two Gauff ended the run of British qualifier Sonay Kartal, who had defied her humble ranking of 298 to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time.
Gauff won 6-4, 6-0, allowing her opponent just eight points in the second set. (France24)
