One for the ages
An instant classic, people said about Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Jannik Sinner in last month’s twisty Roland-Garros final, when the Spaniard saved three championship points. But is instant really a word we should be using about a contest that lasted for almost five and a half hours, making it the longest Paris final in history?
Just five weeks after one of the greatest, most cinematic matches of all time, we get the grass court sequel, with the rivals reunited on the second Sunday of a Grand Slam, when they will be playing on Centre Court for the gentlemen’s singles title.
Sinner vs Alcaraz: New chapter in great rivalry
All the expectations are that this final - which this year has a new, later start time of 4pm - is going to be another lengthy and absorbing match, which could still be going deep into the evening.
Who’s going to win? Around the All England Club opinions are divided. Another discussion point: is Wimbledon’s first all-Gen Z final going to go the distance? The consensus seems to be yes. So soon after Paris, these two might have another classic in them, and then it will be up to you whether you wish to call that instant or not.
Gentlemen's singles final: Milestones and records
Along with joy and dazzling artistry, Alcaraz is going to be bringing considerable momentum to the court as he is currently on three winning streaks. All of his last five matches with Sinner have gone his way, with his last defeat against the Italian as distant as 2023.
First Wimbledon final for Sinner
Alcaraz sees off Fritz to make third final
He’s unbeaten in his last 24 matches on the Tour, which is the longest winning streak of his career. Alcaraz’s last defeat anywhere on the tennis map? That was back in April. Alcaraz has also won his last 20 matches on the Wimbledon grass. If he can extend those runs, the 22-year-old will become only the fifth man in the Open era – after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – to win three successive titles here.
Over the last month or so, Sinner has been the unluckiest man in tennis as well as the luckiest. Losing the Roland-Garros final after holding a trio of championship points would have felt horrible, and it has seemed this Fortnight as though he has already processed that experience and moved on, but who knows whether those feelings will resurface when he looks over the net and sees Alcaraz again?
Here at Wimbledon, Lady Luck appears to have been with Team Sinner, as the Italian was trailing by two sets to love in his fourth round match against Grigor Dimitrov when the Bulgarian damaged his pectoral muscle and was unable to continue.
Since then, Sinner hasn’t dropped a set, commanding the court against Ben Shelton and then Djokovic to reach his first Wimbledon final, where he will attempt to become the first Italian gentlemen’s singles champion.
Sinner vs Alcaraz is scheduled for 4pm on Centre Court
Could it be magic?
Prepare for some grass court wizardry. From her freestyle, highly creative game – she’s known as ‘The Wizard’ – to her ability to play well with different doubles partners, there’s something astonishingly adaptable about Su-Wei Hsieh on the Wimbledon grass.
Winning a fifth ladies’ doubles title would be a remarkable achievement in itself if she had always had the same partner, but she is looking to do so with the fourth different woman alongside her.
After taking a first title in 2013 with Peng Shuai, having success with Barbora Strycova in 2019, landing a third in 2021 with Elise Mertens and snaffling another with Strycova in 2023, Hsieh has partnered Jelena Ostapenko to the final.
They’re playing one of Hsieh’s old partners, Mertens, who has paired up with Veronika Kudermetova.
Hsieh/Ostapenko vs Kudermetova/Mertens is scheduled for 1pm on Centre Court
Repeat business
With 10 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, Britain’s Alfie Hewett already has an air of greatness about him on the lawns and he could add to his collection
on Sunday when he plays Japan’s Tokito Oda in the final of the Gentlemen’s Wheelchair Singles.
Victory would give defending champion Hewett a second singles title at the All England Club, while Oda will be looking to add the trophy to the one he won here in 2023.
Oda vs Hewett is scheduled for 11am on No.1 Court
Three is the magic number
In an all-Dutch conclusion to the Gentlemen’s Quad Singles, Niels Vink plays Sam Schroder for the title.
Just like Alcaraz, Vink is looking to win Wimbledon for the third year in a row.
Vink vs Schroder is scheduled for 11am on No.3 Court
Maybe baby
Meet ‘Baby Dimitrov’. Or maybe that should be ‘Baby Baby Federer’. Dimitrov was once known as ‘Baby Federer’ because he has a similar game to Roger, and the Bulgarian has been inspiring the younger generation with his tennis here and across the Tour.
Ivan Ivanov (main picture), a 16-year-old compatriot of Dimitrov, is in the boys’ singles final where he plays Ronit Karki, a qualifier from the United States. Win on Sunday and Ivanov will be the first Bulgarian boys' singles champion since Dimitrov in 2008.
Ivanov vs Karki is scheduled second on No.1 Court