LONDON (AP) — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to return to the Wimbledon final as he seeks his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21.
After a so-so opening set, Alcaraz transformed back into the energetic, attacking, crowd-pleasing force who already was the first teenager to be No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is the youngest man to have won a major trophy on three surfaces: grass, clay and hard courts.
Now the Spaniard is one victory away from joining Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open era, which began in 1968, with multiple championships at the All England Club before turning 22.
Alcaraz also triumphed at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the French Open last month.
He is 3-0 in major finals so far and will go up against 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Mussetti on Sunday. That duo was scheduled to meet in the second semifinal — the 49th appearance at that stage of a Grand Slam tournament for Djokovic, and the first for Musetti.
A year ago at Wimbledon, Alcaraz eliminated 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev in straight sets in the semifinals before defeating Djokovic in five sets in the final.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
