LONDON — First, Carlos Alcaraz did his part to set up The Grand Slam Rematch the Tennis World Wanted, barely averting a fifth set and getting past Taylor Fritz 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the semifinals Friday to move within a victory of a third consecutive Wimbledon championship.
Then it was Jannik Sinner’s turn to keep up his end of the bargain, and he overwhelmed a not-fully-fit Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to get to the final at the All England Club for the first time.
So get ready for Sunday: No. 1 Sinner vs. No. 2 Alcaraz for the title on the grass courts of Wimbledon, exactly four weeks after their riveting and remarkable final on the red clay of the French Open.
Sinner grabbed a two-set lead in that one, then held a trio of match points, before Alcaraz came all the way back to win after 5 hours, 29 minutes filled with brilliance from both.
Alcaraz and Sinner pushed each other in Paris.
Asked to reflect on what happened in Paris, Alcaraz began by saying, “Probably the best,” then cut himself off.
“I mean, ‘probably,’ no. It was the best match that I have ever played so far. I’m not surprised he just pushed me to the limit. I expect that on Sunday — just to be in the limit, to be on the line. Just going to be a great day, a great final. I’m just excited about it,” Alcaraz said, speaking for anybody who might have paid any attention to that classic at Roland-Garros.
“I just hope not to be 51/2 hours on court again,” he added with a smile. “If I have to, I will. But I think it’s going to be great.”
Who wouldn’t expect this one to be?
“Hopefully it’s going to be a good match, like the last one,” Sinner said. “I don’t know if it’ll get better, because I don’t think it’s possible.”
No. 1 Sinner and No. 2 Alcaraz rule men’s tennis.
Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, and Alcaraz, a 22-year-old Spaniard, are far and away the leaders of men’s tennis — and are at the height of their powers right now.
This will be the seventh straight major tournament won by one or the other.
Alcaraz is 5-0 in Grand Slam finals. Sinner owns three major trophies.
“The things we are doing right now are great for tennis,” Alcaraz said.
He takes a career-best 24-match winning streak into Sunday.
Sinner will be in his fourth Grand Slam final in a row, after winning the U.S. Open last September and the Australian Open in January.
Alcaraz has won five matches in a row against Sinner.
Alcaraz also leads their head-to-head matchup 8-4, taking the last five.
He doesn’t think what happened in their most recent meeting will have a carryover effect on Sinner this time.
“He’s going to be better physically. He’s going to be better mentally. He’s going to be prepared on Sunday to give his 100%,” said Alcaraz, who trailed the fifth-seeded Fritz 6-4 in the fourth-set tiebreaker before winning the next four points to end it.
Sinner and Alcaraz have taken over the sport as the so-called Big Three of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ceded center stage.
Federer and Nadal are retired.
For the 38-year-old Djokovic, who was diminished two days after a “nasty” and “awkward” fall in the last game of his quarterfinal victory, his lopsided loss brought an end to his latest bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and an unprecedented 25th major.
With five-time Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg and celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Leonardo DiCaprio looking on Friday, Alcaraz produced his usual brand of magic, marking some shots against U.S. Open runner-up Fritz with a shout of “Vamos!” or a raised index finger.
The temperature topped 85 degrees, with no clouds interrupting the blue sky overhead to offer protection from the sun.
For the second consecutive day, spectators had trouble in the heat.
The pop of a champagne cork could be heard in the stands just before the start, and Alcaraz burst out of the gate, breaking for a 1-0 lead. The first point was illustrative: He returned a 135-mph serve, then capped a 10-stroke exchange with a delicate drop shot.
To be clear, Fritz played quite well for stretches, conjuring a quality with his neon-orange racket frame that would have been enough to overcome most foes on grass. As anyone paying attention — including Sinner — knows, Alcaraz is not just any foe.
“He has so many different ways to win,” Fritz said.
Djokovic wants Wimbledon encore
Djokovic wanted to make this much clear after losing to Sinner: This was not a farewell performance. Djokovic intends to compete again at the All England Club.
“I’m not planning to finish my Wimbledon career today,” Djokovic said, who had reached the past six finals, winning four and finishing as runner-up to Alcaraz in 2023 and 2024.
“I’m planning to come back definitely — at least one more time.”
His loss at Centre Court against the top-ranked Sinner put an end to Djokovic’s latest attempt to tie Federer’s men’s record of eight championships at Wimbledon.
Djokovic was not fully able to compete at his best level, two days after taking the bad fall in the last game of his quarterfinal victory.
“I don’t want to talk in details about my injury and just whine about not managing to play my best,” Djokovic said Friday. “I do feel disappointed that I just wasn’t able to move as well as I thought or hoped that I would.”
Mertens’ team in doubles final
Elise Mertens, 29, reached the final of the women’s doubles for the fourth time in her career.
Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova of Russia beat Olivia Gadecki of Australia and Desirae Krawczyk of Palm Desert 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 in a two-hour match.
On Sunday, they will face Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, who beat Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, the reigning champions, 7-5, 6-4.
Belgian star Mertens won Wimbledon in 2021 with Hsieh. She was runner-up in 2022 with Zheng Shuai and in 2023 with Storm Hunter. Last year, she and Hsieh lost in the semifinals.
Mertens has four doubles Slam titles, winning the Australian twice and the U.S. Open once.
