Ons Jabeur showed mental toughness and brilliant shot-making in tight moments, recovering from a set down to beat reigning champion Elena Rybakina – the exact opposite of their 2022 final. She must beat Madison Keys’ conqueror Aryna Sabalenka to return there, while Carlos Alcaraz vs. Daniil Medvedev is next on Friday after different wins by one-time Major champions.
Alcaraz asserts himself against Rune
- End of the road: Eubanks’ dream run ends at the quarterfinal stage after memorable Wimbledon debut for 27-year-old American, while Rune ran out of steam but reached a Major quarterfinal for first time on grass
- Medvedev beat Alcaraz in R2 at Wimbledon two years ago, but was comfortably second best in their most recent meeting four months ago during the Indian Wells final. Can he stop the world no. 1’s progress a second time around, with the Djokovic-Sinner victor come Sunday?
Alcaraz [1] bt. Rune [6] 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4
It’s often all about executing in pressure points during tightly-contested matches like these, and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz did that to devastating effect during an entertaining tussle between two 20-year-olds earmarked as the sport’s future.
Neither are in a rush but they’ll both argue seizing the moment is far more important. Alcaraz didn’t get to world no. 1 by accident, he has considerably more big-match experience and weapons than Rune, and this was where that unfolded for all to see.
Not for the first time this fortnight, Alcaraz wasn’t firing on all cylinders in a first set lasting little over an hour, and yet he emerged unscathed after snatching a finely-poised tiebreak without warning. The subsequent celebratory roar spoke volumes.
Rune double-faulted at 3-3 and the next time he was serving, he had three set points to save. That’s a mountain to climb against anyone in that scenario, let alone an in-form Spaniard with the variety and power his agemate possesses off both wings.
“It was tough to play against him but once you get into the quarter-finals and step on the court… there’s no friends. You have to be focused on yourself and I think I did great in that part,” Alcaraz on the dynamic against a familiar face
Rune didn’t make it a straightforward stroll from that moment on, but you could sense time was running out with each passing game. They cancelled one another out on serve, their fearless shot selection swatting any whiff of pressure in its tracks.
Yet for all the Dane’s hard work, he couldn’t fashion a break point opportunity in sets two and three, his forehand flagging and touch at the net good but not clinical.
Alcaraz rose to the challenge, as has become the norm, breaking him at the first sign of hesitancy.
Medvedev [3] bt. Eubanks 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
After dropping a set against friend Marton Fucsovics in the third-round, Daniil Medvedev was perhaps fortunate to avoid an arduous battle against Czech talent Jiri Lehecka, who retired injured in R4.
As such, it wasn’t a surprise to see him go the distance against America’s feelgood story in Christopher Eubanks – exceeding expectations and then some – as a pair of players three months apart in age exchanged blows for three hours on No. 1 Court.
The former world no. 1 found himself under duress and yet remains unbeaten on that particular stadium, but must become accustomed to the nuances of Centre Court and quickly against the impending Alcaraz avalanche awaiting him on Friday.
He fired off 28 aces, one shy of his total heading into this quarterfinal, hit 52 winners and 13 unforced errors – a differential most players could only dream of.
Yet those numbers were dwarfed in both senses of the word against an aggressive, persistent Eubanks: 74 winners and 55 unforced, and that’s how he had to play.
Eubanks broke Andre Agassi’s Wimbledon record (317) for the most winners hit at a men’s singles championship with 321 across an unforgettable fortnight for the American – a tournament debutant no less – and was agonisingly close to the semis.
Four points from victory on two separate occasions in set four, two-time Major champion and former world no. 1 Tracy Austin said it best in her analysis afterwards.
Whether consciously or not deep in those high-pressure moments, his level dropped by 10-15% – Medvedev didn’t need a second invitation to pounce and surged from there, racing into a double break advantage in the decider. That sequence? Fatal.
One win stands between Sabalenka and world no. 1 status
- “I was really sad that I couldn’t play here last year but at the same time I was thinking that ‘OK, it’s a good time to reset and start everything over again. This is probably something I really needed,” Sabalenka on how things have changed after the 2022 ban of Russian, Belarusian players
- If she beats 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur in Thursday’s semifinal, the Australian Open champion will overtake Iga Swiatek as new world no. 1
- Winner then plays either Elina Svitolina [WC] or unseeded Czech talent Marketa Vondrousova in Saturday’s finale – neither has made one in their careers, first since 1963 that a non-seed will be in the Wimbledon final
Sabalenka [2] bt. Keys [25] 6-2, 6-4
Aryna Sabalenka said she was mentally preparing herself for a third set, and hindsight aside, it’s difficult to envisage how the 25-year-old would’ve responded to that stressful situation two years ago.
She didn’t need it in the end, rallying back from 0-40 to break straight back from 4-2 down and soon enough seal her second Wimbledon semifinal three games later, but maturity and experience would’ve steadied the ship had that scenario come to life.
“Before the grass season last year, I didn’t play my best tennis – struggling a lot with my serve, these emotions, a lot of stuff. I jsut took that time as good preparation, as like a little switch – everything started working better.”
Keys, just like Pegula 24 hours earlier, suffered a painful quarterfinal defeat she’ll want back. Two more winners (19-17) but eight more unforced errors (22-14) against a hard-hitting adversary like Sabalenka, long service games proved her Achilles heel.
Jabeur [6] bt. Rybakina [3] 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1
You couldn’t help but fear the worst going forward as Ons Jabeur snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a topsy-turvy first set that should’ve been settled earlier.
A set point came and went for the Tunisian, who fumed and moaned while Rybakina stuck to her guns with deep groundstrokes and clever play at the back of the court.
Eventually, some gasp-inducing errors arrived down the other end and before you knew it, the defending champion had an advantage to protect. Unlike in last year’s final though, Jabeur channelled her emotion the right way and with some aplomb.
Rybakina, like Sabalenka, has a powerful game that can be made less effective when opponents refuse to give them time on the ball.
Whether that’s with unpredictable serving, deep angled shot placement, keeping them honest in rallies, the whole package – very few on the WTA Tour can manage that tactic with consistent success, ala Karolina Muchova and Simona Halep.
Jabeur though, is one of those players. After the pair saved a trio of break points on serve at different points in set two, their competitive exchanges continued though the scoreboard pressure was on the Kazakh and she felt it. Why wouldn’t she?
Jabeur upped her aggression and this game emphasised it: a trio of forehand winners to create two set points, and a backhand near the back edge of the line forced Rybakina into an error. No longer in control, this was only going one way.
The two-time Major runner-up still had a job to do, clinching the deciding set was far from a given, as a deceptive 6-1 scoreline might normally suggest.
She was taken to deuce in each service game besides the final one, did remarkably well to save two break points when serving for a 4-1 lead and could’ve easily wilted.
Instead, she soared into the semis. How much will the emotional high of avenging such a painful defeat have taken out of her, we’ll have to wait and see.
Picture source: Getty Images
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