Wimbledon: Carlos Alcaraz marches to round three, extends winning streak to 20

LONDON: Spanish tennis sensation and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the third round of the ongoing Wimbledon tournament with a win over British qualifier Oliver Tarvet on Wednesday.

Alcaraz, who was pushed to his limits by 38-year-old Fabio Fognini in the opening round in a five-set match, made a relatively light work of Oliver, winning by 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

It was his first match against world number 733 Oliver, striking 37 winners and breaking his serve six times to extend his career-best match-win streak to 20.

“I loved his game.”

Carlos Alcaraz had some nice words for Oliver Tarvet following their second round match #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/oGszuqTTkX

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025

Following the match, Alcaraz was full of praise for his opponent. “I have to give praise to Oliver, his second match on the Tour. I just love his game to be honest. The level he played in the first match on Centre Court, which I know is really difficult, was great tennis. I knew at the beginning I had to be really focused, had to play my best tennis. Today I played just great tennis and I am really happy with my game today,” he said, according to ATP website.

The two-time Wimbledon champion, who has won all his past 16 matches at Wimbledon, became the fastest player in the Open Era to get to 30 wins on grass surfaces after winning over Fognini. Now, with his 31st grass win, he could meet either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in round three.

“I found the right way to try and enjoy after every match,” Alcaraz said. “When I step on the court, I am just trying to enjoy. It doesn’t matter if I am winning or losing. That is the key for the past two or three months, having a great consecutive winning streak, and I am just enjoying,” he added.

The second seed is aiming to join legendary Bjorn Borg as the second player in the Open Era to win the French Open-Wimbledon double in successive years and the fifth to lift a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles.

If he wins, this would be Alcaraz’s sixth title of the season, with his fifth major title, the French Open, being his crowning achievement this year. Earlier this month, he triumphed at The Queen’s Club, winning the title for the second time. (ANI)