Come to order, please. In the third round at Wimbledon, it was time to convene the annual meeting of Carlos Alcaraz and Jan-Lennard Struff.

Let the record show that these two have played once yearly since 2021 in various locations. With the Centre Court crowd forming a quorum, minutes from previous meetings – giving Alcaraz a 3-1 career advantage, including in a five-setter here three years ago – were approved.

The current view shows the Spaniard is seeking to retain his chairmanship of the local board for the third successive year. So imposing his own agenda was always going to be difficult for 35-year-old Struff.

The German – whose ranking has fallen from 21 two years ago to 125 now – mounted his challenge with determination. But at 4-4 in the fourth set his plan faltered crucially when he netted an easy volley. The Spaniard’s authority took him to a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.

Alcaraz now faces Andrey Rublev in the last 16 on Sunday. The Centre Court crowd gave a noisy vote of thanks to both third round protagonists, and the meeting was declared closed.

“I can’t believe I’m standing here 6-4 in that last set,” reported Alcaraz to the Centre Court shareholders. “He missed a volley one metre from the net. I was lucky with that volley and made the most of it with the break. I still don’t know how he missed that volley.

“His game is suited to the grass with his big serve, and he came in to the net as much as he can. I’m really pleased with everything I fought for but it was stressful.

“I was suffering in many service games – love 30, break points down. He was pushing me whenever he could. It was tough to survive. I was happy to get that break at the end.”

Struff came into this match having never beaten a top 5 player in seven Grand Slam attempts. It's almost obligatory to label him “the big-serving German” but in the opening set just 35 per cent of his first serves were finding the target. Meanwhile, the Alcaraz forehand was carving up the court.

This was Struff’s fourth visit to the third round here, after a dip in form since last summer’s Olympics. He celebrated his second round win over No.25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime (a former quarter-finalist here, and Struff’s best Wimbledon victory by ranking) with an Instagram holler of: “YEEEEESSS – What a ride!”

He might have felt like shouting the same after a startling second set against Alcaraz. Overturning an early break, he grabbed his own with some quality returning. Confidence brimming, he served it out.

Struff immediately surrendered his serve in the third through three double faults and a wondrous Alcaraz lob. But where the Spaniard’s serve was near impregnable on almost every point of that set, in the fourth it loosened just as Struff relocated his own intensity.

It all hinged on that five-deuce game, the longest of the match, at 4-4. Struff’s mistakes proved fatal.

So the Spaniard extended his Wimbledon winning streak to 17, and his current run of victories on all surfaces to 21.

The incumbent chairman of the Centre Court board wants that third term at the helm. It remains to be seen if he can be stopped.

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