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Carlos Alcaraz reached the Queen’s Club final, defeating Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4. Alcaraz will face Jiri Lehecka, who beat Jack Draper.
Carlos Alacarz in action (AFP)
Carlos Alcaraz reached the Queen’s Club final for the second time with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.
In the sweltering conditions at this Wimbledon warm-up event in west London, Alcaraz extended his career-best winning streak to 17 matches.
The five-time Grand Slam champion achieved the win in 90 minutes, hitting 36 winners and 15 aces to dispatch his fellow Spaniard. Top-seeded Alcaraz will face Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final after the Czech world number 30 defeated British star Jack Draper with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win in the other semi-final.
Playing his first tournament since his epic French Open victory against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, the 22-year-old has now reached his fifth successive final after securing titles on clay in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and Monte Carlo.
Alcaraz signalled his emergence as a grass-court force by winning Queen’s in 2023, clinching the Wimbledon title for the first time just weeks later, and defending his All England Club crown last year. He is one victory away from becoming only the second Spaniard to win Queen’s twice, after Feliciano Lopez’s victories in 2017 and 2019.
“I’m playing great tennis. After every match, I’m feeling more comfortable. Making the final here is so special once again,” Alcaraz said.
“I love making the crowds enjoy watching my games. Whenever I put a smile on my face, I play my best tennis. I try to have fun and bring joy on the court. That is why I’m making good results.”
Alcaraz quickly took control against Bautista Agut, breaking serve in the third game with a deft drop shot. From there, he held serve easily to close out the first set. Bautista Agut, 37, had enjoyed a surprise win over Danish fourth seed Holger Rune in the quarter-finals, but Alcaraz did not suffer the same fate, delivering a decisive break in the second set with a forehand down the line to move 3-2 ahead. He finished off the match in typically ruthless fashion, much to the delight of the fans waving Spanish flags.
In the other semi-final, Jiri Lehecka ended Jack Draper’s bid for a maiden Queen’s final appearance. Lehecka, playing in his first ATP grass-court final, is the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990.
The 23-year-old said, “It means a lot. You don’t meet a player like Jack every day; he’s an amazing competitor.”
Draper aimed to become the first British singles champion at Queen’s since Andy Murray’s most recent victory in 2016. However, the world number six will have to wait at least another year after citing a bout of tonsillitis that affected his performance.
Lehecka had already ended the hopes of one Briton by defeating Jacob Fearnley in the quarter-finals. He also overcame world number 12 Alex de Minaur in his opening match of the tournament, but defeating Draper was his biggest achievement yet.
(with agency inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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