World number one Carlos Alcaraz, who is showing his title ambition, was unconvincing on Saturday to reach the knockout stages of Wimbledon where his next opponent, Matteo Berrettini, made a resounding return.
After two rounds against opponents in his hand, Alcaraz had great difficulty in dismissing Chilean Nicolas Jarry (28th) 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 and 7-5 in 3:56.
“In Rio already [in the semi-finals in February], it was very tough. So I’m very happy to have got through it and to have received this extra energy from the public,” commented the 20-year-old Spaniard.
Last year, for his second participation in the Major on grass, Alcaraz was eliminated in the round of 16 by the Italian Jannik Sinner after a breathtaking match.
This year, crowned with his first title on grass won at Queen’s, he says he is aiming for a second Grand Slam title after the US Open last year.
He will pass a big test in the next round, where he will face for a place in the quarters the powerful Italian Matteo Berrettini (38th), runner-up 2021, who showed great verve to beat the German Alexander Zverev (21st) 6-3 , 7-6 (7/4) and 7-6 (7/5).
” It’s incredible. I haven’t played much this season and I didn’t think something like this could happen. It must be a special place. This tournament has changed my career, my life, so I’m very happy to be back”, savored the Italian who withdrew last year, just before entering the competition, due to a positive test. to COVID-19.
Due to rain disrupting the schedule, he played five days in a row to reach the round of 16. But he didn’t care.
Daniil Medvedev (number three) dropped his first set of the tournament before clearly dominating the Hungarian Márton Fucsovics (67th) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
The 27-year-old Russian had already reached the eighth of the Major on grass in 2021, without managing to go further. This year, to move into the quarters, he will have to dismiss the Czech Jirí Lehečka (37th), who eliminated the American Tommy Paul (15th).
In great difficulty in the second round against Andy Murray, whom he beat in two days in a meeting concluded on Friday, Stéfanos Tsitsipás (number five) was quick to beat the Serb Laslo Djere (60th) on Saturday 6-4, 7 -6 (7/5) and 6-4 in 2:11.
Finalist at the Australian Open (2023) and Roland-Garros (2021), Tsitsipás has never passed the round of 16 at Wimbledon (reached in 2018 for his second participation), nor the third round at the US Open.
The 24-year-old Greek will face for a place in the quarterfinals the American Christopher Eubanks (43rd), who, for his first Wimbledon, dismissed the Australian Christopher O’Connell (73rd).
Much more complicated was the qualification of Dane Holger Rune (number six) who saved two match points before beating Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich (34th) 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 in the fifth set. , 6-4 and 7-6 (10/8) in 3:59.
For his second appearance at Wimbledon, he will therefore try to reach the quarter-finals. It will be against Frances Tiafoe (10th) or Grigor Dimitrov (24th), whose match was interrupted by rain and then by night.
In the women’s draw, world number two Aryna Sabalenka, a serious title contender, was much more authoritative to reach the round of 16 than to win in the previous round.
Semi-finalist on the London lawn in 2021 and banned from participation last year, she will face another Russian to try to climb into the quarters, Ekaterina Alexandrova (22nd), who eliminated Hungarian Dalma Gálfi 6-0, 6- 4.
The double winner (2011, 2014) Petra Kvitovà easily qualified for the eighth, a stage she had not reached since 2019.
She will face last year’s runner-up, Tunisian Ons Jabeur (number six).
At the end of the evening, the Kazakh title holder Elena Rybakina (number three) swept the Briton Katie Boulter (89th) 6-1, 6-1 in 57 minutes. She will face Brazilian Beatriz Haddad (13th) for a place in the quarterfinals.