Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz battles back from brink to beat Frances Tiafoe in thriller

No 3 seed overcomes American in five sets on Centre Court

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning his third round match against Frances Tiafoe at Wimbledon on July 5. Reuters

Alcaraz applauds Tiafoe after the match. PA

Tiafoe walks from the court. AP

Alcaraz of Spain in action. AP

Alcaraz celebrates reaching the fourth round. PA

Alcaraz, left, embraces Tiafoe following their third round match. AP

Alcaraz in action. PA

US player Tiafoe returns the ball. AFP

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."