Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev played out an entertaining semi-final clash at Wimbledon, with the former coming out on top.
The Spaniard battled back from a set down to defeat the Russian 7-6(7-1), 3-6, 4-6, 4-6 on Centre Court.
Alcaraz now has the chance to become just the ninth man in the Open Era to retain his Wimbledon title, having won the event last year.
In 2023, the young Spaniard denied Novak Djokovic an eighth title, with Alcaraz beating the Serbian in a five-set thriller.
His latest victim on Centre Court at the All England Club was Medvedev, with the fifth seed certain to be devastated after the loss.
Nick Kyrgios spots what Daniil Medvedev stopped doing against Carlos Alcaraz
The Russian has just equalled his best run at Wimbledon, but will now be having nightmare flashbacks after his exit.
He lost to Alcaraz at the same stage in 2023, with his fellow professional Nick Kyrgios noting where it went wrong for Medvedev against the Spaniard this time around.
“It was an amazing performance by Carlos,” Kyrgios said on BBC TV. “The maturity to advance to your second Wimbledon final, I don’t even know what that feels like.
“But it’s an incredibly tough match for Medvedev, especially on the grass. He naturally wants to play so far back.
“In the first set I saw him trying to step up to the baseline, he was really successful with that, and then his old habits crept in and allowed Alcaraz to be creative and playful and come to the net with slices. It was a very tough day for Medvedev.”
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It has been a tough year for Medvedev in terms of majors, with the Russian beginning 2024 by losing the Australian Open final.
Making the defeat to Jannik Sinner more devastating was the fact that he stormed into a two-set lead at the Rod Laver Arena.
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A disappointing fourth round exit was then suffered at the French Open, with Medvedev having been leading Alex De Minaur by one set.
With the fifth seed having come so close to glory in recent times, Andy Roddick believes Medvedev belongs in the same class as Djokovic, Sinner and Alcaraz.
He had certainly been impressing the Spaniard before their match, with Alcaraz saying the most ‘special’ thing about Medvedev is that he can reach every ball.
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