Barely a fortnight after relinquishing the world No 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz stands on the brink of reclaiming it.
Alcaraz defeated Sebastian Korda of the United States 6-3, 6-4 at Queen’s Club to reach the first grass-court final of his career, and the 20-year-old Spaniard will arrive at Wimbledon as the top seed if he can see off Alex de Minaur, a 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) winner over Holger Rune, in Sunday afternoon’s final.
It would be a significant accomplishment for Alcaraz, who has been taken aback by his rate of progress at what is only the third grass-court tournament of his career. Since narrowly surviving his opening match against Arthur Rinderknech, a lucky loser ranked 83 in the world who took him to a final-set tiebreak, the US Open champion has gone from strength to strength.
Far from his usual zippy self against Rinderknech, when he struggled at times to regain his balance and court positioning when pulled wide, Alcaraz has improved with each passing round. Having seen off Jiri Lehecka and former Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to make the last four, Alcaraz oozed class and authority against Korda, dictating the baseline exchanges with his big forehand and frequently showcasing his touch and dexterity at the net. It was every inch a display worthy of the world’s best player.
“Obviously during the match I’m not thinking about that, but it is an extra motivation for me, to go into the final with extra energy,” said Alcaraz of the prospect of reclaiming the No 1 ranking he first earned at Flushing Meadows last September.
“I’m going to go for it. Obviously being top seed at Wimbledon, being No 1, for me, it’s still a dream, something that I work on.
“I think Novak and I, we are having a beautiful fight, you know, for the No 1.”
After the disappointment of Roland Garros, where the tension of a massively hyped semi-final meeting with Djokovic manifested itself in a debilitating attack of cramp that effectively rendered Alcaraz lame after two sets, a return to the top ranking would be a welcome fillip for the Spaniard ahead of his arrival in SW19. The impact in real terms would, of course, be negligible, given the gulf in experience between Alcaraz and the seven-time Wimbledon champion, but the strides taken by Alcaraz this week are nonetheless unlikely to have gone unnoticed in the Djokovic camp. By way of context, Rafael Nadal needed three attempts to win at Queen’s; Alcaraz has the opportunity to do it first time around.
“I surprised myself, honestly, with the level that I’m playing right now,” said Alcaraz. “How I’m feeling on court, I didn’t expect to feel that in just six days.
“I came here just to get experience, to get out on court and practise and play with these kinds of players. It is a good preparation for Wimbledon, but I didn’t expect at the beginning of the week that I’m going to be in the final and playing such a good level.”
If Alcaraz is to pass the test that awaits on Sunday, he will need to maintain that level against De Minaur, whose grass-court credentials include a title win in Eastbourne two years ago and a run to the last 16 at Wimbledon last summer. The Australian world No 18 was in control from the outset against Rune, who lost his opening service game after an error-strewn start and could not capitalise on a pair of break points that would have left him serving for the second set.
“Carlos, he’s finding his footing on grass and playing some great tennis as well,” said De Minaur, the seventh seed, who will be aiming to become the first Australian champion at Queen’s since Lleyton Hewitt in 2006.
“It’s going to be an absolute battle. I’ll try to do a bit like I did today and play my game and try to dictate myself and not get pushed around.”
Given the firepower at Alcaraz’s disposal, that is easier said than done. It promises to be an intriguing afternoon.