Whenever a team or player dominates in sports, many fans wait and hope for the end of their reign, unless they happen to be a fan of the team or player. In the case of Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, however, we are likely just at the beginning of a sustained run of success.
Alcaraz is 22 years old, but has won the last two Wimbledon titles. He might echo his countryman, Rafael Nadal, in terms of controlling one Grand Slam event for a decade-plus, but in Alcaraz's case, it might be Wimbledon where he is always the heavy favorite.
To be fair, Alcaraz might also have the same kind of run at the French Open. He is that good.
Carlos Alcaraz reaches Wimbledon final against by defeating Taylor Fritz in the semifinals
His semifinal match against Taylor Fritz was, for all intents and purposes, over early. The Spaniard got a break in Fritz's opening game, and Alcaraz simply needed to keep holding to take the set. There was little doubt he was going to do that.
Fritz is the best and most consistently good American men's player in years. He does not have the tennis skills that Carlos Alcaraz has. Everything that Fritz can do well, Alcaraz can do a tick better. Plus, the Spaniard moves around the court easily, and Fritz does not come close to Alcaraz in that facet.
It was showing early. Alcaraz was hitting solid returns even in the service games that Fritz won, but the ATP No. 2 was also making the ATP No. 5 (soon to be No. 4 again when the new rankings come out after Wimbledon) work for most points. Alcaraz took the first set 6-4.
This made the second set all the more surprising. Fritz began to hold his service games easily, while it was the Spaniard fought for points. While each player kept holding, Fritz took advantage of a 0-40 lead with Alcaraz serving as Fritz led 6-5 in the second set. The American evened the match, taking the set 7-5.
The third set returned the match to reality. Alcaraz got a break of Fritz in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. During the set, the Spaniard lost only one point on his serve, and that was due to a double fault. To finish off the set at 6-3, Alcaraz got another break.
The fourth set featured no breaks of service and went to a tie-break that presumably favored Alcaraz. The versatility of his game helps him steal more points than any other player. Still, after trailing 1-4, Fritz got back to the point of having two set points while serving, but couldn't take advantage. Alcaraz took the last four points and won the match 6-4 5-7 6-3 7-6(6).
Carlos Alcaraz will next play the winner of the Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic match in the final. Sinner and Alcaraz have combined to win the last six Grand Slam events. Alcaraz will be favored against whomever he plays, so a sixth Grand Slam title is likely for the Spaniard.