logo
Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title

Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title

Times of Oman5 hours ago

London: Young Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz, who will defend his Wimbledon title from June 30 onwards at the All England, stands on the brink of a massive milestone.
If the world number two secures the Wimbledon title for the third successive year and makes it a hat-trick of wins, he will join legendary Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open Era to complete a double of French Open-Wimbledon in consecutive years, as per ATP's official website.
Borg set a huge benchmark for future superstars of the game to follow between 1978 and 1980, when he captured the French Open and Wimbledon titles in a calendar year three times in a row, a feat that has not been replicated since.
Alcaraz arrives for the third Grand Slam of the season with a career-best 18-match winning streak, with title wins in Rome and Paris, defeating world-number-one Jannik Sinner in both the title clashes, with the latter being a five-hour classic which saw Alcaraz come from behind to capture a thrilling win.
The 22-year-old will be aiming to win his fifth successive title on natural surfaces, after victories at Wimbledon in 2023, 2024, the French Open in 2024 and 2025. This would also be his sixth Grand Slam title.
The transition from tough clay of Paris to grass surfaces has not proven to be easy even for the biggest stars of the sport. In the Open Era, Alcaraz is one of six men to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joining Rod Laver (1969), Borg (1978, 1979, 1980), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), Roger Federer (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2021).
Only Borg has managed to secure the double in back-to-back years. Only one women's player has managed to secure the double in successive years during the Open Era, Stefanie Graf, who did it in 1995 and 1996.
Alcaraz arrives to London after securing his second Queens Club Championships title, positioning himself as a huge favourite for a hat-trick. The two-time Wimbledon champion has an impressive tournament record of 18 wins and two losses.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title
Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title

Times of Oman

time5 hours ago

  • Times of Oman

Huge milestone up for grabs as Alcaraz prepares to defend Wimbledon title

London: Young Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz, who will defend his Wimbledon title from June 30 onwards at the All England, stands on the brink of a massive milestone. If the world number two secures the Wimbledon title for the third successive year and makes it a hat-trick of wins, he will join legendary Bjorn Borg as the only men in the Open Era to complete a double of French Open-Wimbledon in consecutive years, as per ATP's official website. Borg set a huge benchmark for future superstars of the game to follow between 1978 and 1980, when he captured the French Open and Wimbledon titles in a calendar year three times in a row, a feat that has not been replicated since. Alcaraz arrives for the third Grand Slam of the season with a career-best 18-match winning streak, with title wins in Rome and Paris, defeating world-number-one Jannik Sinner in both the title clashes, with the latter being a five-hour classic which saw Alcaraz come from behind to capture a thrilling win. The 22-year-old will be aiming to win his fifth successive title on natural surfaces, after victories at Wimbledon in 2023, 2024, the French Open in 2024 and 2025. This would also be his sixth Grand Slam title. The transition from tough clay of Paris to grass surfaces has not proven to be easy even for the biggest stars of the sport. In the Open Era, Alcaraz is one of six men to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joining Rod Laver (1969), Borg (1978, 1979, 1980), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), Roger Federer (2009) and Novak Djokovic (2021). Only Borg has managed to secure the double in back-to-back years. Only one women's player has managed to secure the double in successive years during the Open Era, Stefanie Graf, who did it in 1995 and 1996. Alcaraz arrives to London after securing his second Queens Club Championships title, positioning himself as a huge favourite for a hat-trick. The two-time Wimbledon champion has an impressive tournament record of 18 wins and two losses.

Krejcikova saves match points again to survive in Eastbourne
Krejcikova saves match points again to survive in Eastbourne

Observer

time2 days ago

  • Observer

Krejcikova saves match points again to survive in Eastbourne

EASTBOURNE, England: Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved match points for the second successive day against a British opponent to reach the quarter-finals of the Eastbourne WTA 250 event on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Czech was troubled by a thigh strain and looked on the verge of being knocked out by Jodie Burrage when she served at 5-6 in the deciding set and fell 0-40 behind but she somehow turned it around to win 6-4 4-6 7-6(3). Second seed Krejcikova, who beat Italy's Jasmine Paolini to win last year's Wimbledon title, was leading by a set and a break of serve but needed treatment on her leg. Britain's Jodie Burrage in action. — Reuters Burrage, ranked 164th in the world, played impressively to hit back and broke Krejcikova's serve to level the match — one point being awarded to her after a forehand from her opponent found its way through a hole in the net. The 26-year-old British player kept just ahead in the decider but she could not take any of the three match points that came her way and then a costly double-fault in the tiebreak offered up match points to Krejcikova, who made no mistake. Krejcikova, who also saved match points on Tuesday against home player Harriet Dart, has won two singles matches in a row for the first time in an injury-hit 2025. "Another tough match," Krejcikova, who also has a French Open singles crown to her name, said on court. "Brits know how to play on grass and it's hard to play against them but happy I'm through. "I was going through a difficult moment at the beginning of this year but I'm happy I'm here and can keep finding the level that I know I can reach." — AFP

India first team to lose Test match despite scoring five centuries
India first team to lose Test match despite scoring five centuries

Times of Oman

time2 days ago

  • Times of Oman

India first team to lose Test match despite scoring five centuries

Leeds: Despite scoring five centuries in the first test at Headingley, Leeds, India became the first team to lose a Test match, as England chased down the target of 371 to defeat them by five wickets in the first of the five-test match series. India now has the most individual test hundreds in a losing cause. In the first test, India registered five centuries: Yashashvi Jaiswal 101 (159), Shubman Gill 147 (227), and Rishabh Pant 134 (178) in the first innings, followed by KL Rahul 137 (247) and Rishabh Pant 118 (140) in the second innings. Only once before did a team lose a Test with four hundred - Australia against England at Melbourne in 1928. Chasing a target of 371, England needed 350 runs on the final day of the test match. Only Australia (404) has successfully chased a higher total on the last scheduled day of a test match, against England on day five of the 1948 Headingley Test. The 835 runs that India made in the Headingley Test is the fourth highest for any team to end up on the losing side. England and India scored 1673 runs in the first test, the highest for any Test match between the two sides. The previous highest was 1614 runs at Manchester in 1990, which ended in a draw. Coming to the match, the final day saw England produce a near-flawless run chase. Led by Ben Duckett's stunning 149 and key contributions from Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jamie Smith, the hosts reached the target in just 82 overs, finishing at 373/5 to clinch a five-wicket win and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Test series. Duckett was awarded player of the match for his brilliance in the match. Brief scores: India 471 & 364 (KL Rahul 137, Rishabh Pant 118; Josh Tongue 3/72) vs England 373/5 (Ben Duckett 149, Zak Crawley 65; Shardul Thakur 2/51).

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store