Carlos Alcaraz, the defending Wimbledon champion, emerged victorious after a grueling five-set match against his close friend Frances Tiafoe on Friday, securing his place in the Wimbledon last 16. Meanwhile, US Open champion Coco Gauff easily advanced in her match.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his win against US player Frances Tiafoe during their men’s singles match at Wimbledon (AFP). Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his win against US player Frances Tiafoe during their men’s singles match at Wimbledon (AFP). Alcaraz triumphed with scores of 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2, serving up 16 aces and 55 winners in a Centre Court thriller that nearly lasted four hours.
“Playing against Frances is always a significant challenge,” said Alcaraz, who also faced a five-set challenge from Tiafoe in the 2022 US Open semi-finals on his path to his first Grand Slam title.
“He’s incredibly talented, very tough to play against, and once again he’s proven he deserves to be among the top and compete for major titles.”
Alcaraz, aiming to become only the sixth man to win both the French Open and Wimbledon consecutively, has now reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the 10th time. His next opponent will be either France’s Ugo Humbert or the United States’ Brandon Nakashima.
In the women’s singles, world number two Coco Gauff ended the impressive run of British qualifier Sonay Kartal, who, despite her low ranking of 298, reached the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time. Gauff secured a decisive 6-4, 6-0 victory, conceding only eight points in the second set.
“Nice to Me”
Kartal, despite her loss, will take home over $182,000 in prize money, a significant boost from her 2024 earnings of just over $18,500 before Wimbledon.
“This was my first time playing against a British player here, so I was a bit nervous knowing the crowd would support her,” said Gauff. “But thankfully, you guys were pretty nice to me, which helped.”
Gauff’s next match will be against fellow American Emma Navarro for a spot in the quarter-finals.
US men’s 12th seed Tommy Paul advanced to the fourth round for the second time with a straight-sets victory over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Paul, who recently won the Queen’s Club title, remarked, “I’m having fun on the grass.”
Grigor Dimitrov, a semi-finalist a decade ago, defeated the 37-year-old Gael Monfils in straight sets.
“More Sheep Than People”
Two-time quarter-finalist Madison Keys, seeded 12th, reached the second week of Wimbledon for the fifth time with a straight-sets win over Marta Kostyuk. Keys will face French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini next, who secured her place after defeating former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
Lulu Sun made history by becoming the first woman from New Zealand to reach the Wimbledon last 16 since 1959, winning in straight sets against China’s Zhu Lin. Sun, ranked 123 in the world, defeated Chinese eighth seed and Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen in the first round. Sun, who has a Chinese mother and Croatian father, hopes her achievement will be celebrated in her hometown of Te Anau, New Zealand, a small town with a population of around 3,000.
“There are practically more sheep and deer than people,” joked Sun, who will next play against either Greek ninth seed Maria Sakkari or Britain’s former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Later on Friday, world number one Jannik Sinner, who had a tough four-set win against Italian compatriot Matteo Berrettini in the second round, will face Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia. Australian Open champion Sinner reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year.
