Alcaraz overcomes Humbert in tough battle at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz passed another significant test at Wimbledon on Sunday, where he moved past free-hitting Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to reach his ninth major quarter-final.

In a hard-fought clash, Humbert outplayed Alcaraz for large periods, but the Spaniard produced trademark moments of magic at crucial times to resist the 16th seed and move to within three wins of successfully defending his Wimbledon title.

"Playing a lefty is always tricky. I played a lefty at Queen's and learned a bit from that match. I felt great playing today. I played at a really high level," Alcaraz said.

With his two-hour, 59-minute victory under the roof on Centre Court, the 21-year-old drew level with coach and one-time major champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in third for the most quarter-final appearances at Grand Slam tournaments by Spaniards in the Open Era.

Most Major QF appearances by Spaniards

In an entertaining first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Humbert, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz recovered from losing the third set 1-6 by saving three break points from 0/40 at 3-4 in the fourth set to crucially hold before he produced his best tennis of the match in the following games to seal victory. Alcaraz's reward is a clash with Queen's champion Tommy Paul on Tuesday.

Alcaraz, who defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets in last year's final, is chasing his third trophy of the season and fourth major title overall. Last month, he triumphed at Roland Garros to become the youngest man in history to win a major on all three surfaces.

The Spaniard has battled hard so far at Wimbledon, defeating Frances Tiafoe in five sets in the third round to improve his fifth-set record to 12-1.

One of the highlights of Alcaraz's match against Humbert came on set point in the second set. With Humbert serving, Alcaraz pushed a return into the middle of the court and then scrambled to retrieve a ball wide on his forehand. Losing his footing briefly, he then regained control to sprint to the opposite corner, where he stretched to flick a backhand lob into the London sky. Off the resulting ball, Humbert opted for a drop shot above his head, which Alcaraz somehow tracked down, pushing the ball onto the forehand of Humbert, who could only hit his volley long. Alcaraz raised his arms aloft following the epic exchange, embracing the cheers from the crowd.

"I just tried to fight for every ball," Alcaraz said. "It doesn't matter which part of the court I am in, just giving myself the chance to stay alive in the point. On set point, that was a really important point for me. It didn't matter what he was going to do, I am going to be there, fighting until the last ball."

How do you do it, @carlosalcaraz?@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon2024 pic.twitter.com/wVNLY7HgoJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 7, 2024

Humbert, who won titles in Dubai and Marseille earlier this year, was competing in the fourth round at SW19 for the second time. The 26-year-old caused Alcaraz problems with his destructive forehand. However, he was unable to maintain his best level for long enough periods, with Alcaraz striking 45 winners to advance.

Later on Sunday, Paul finally beat the weather and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the first time. The American advanced 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-2 after several long rain delays on No. 2 Court.

The 27-year-old, who reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in 2023, has now won his past nine matches. Paul is locked at 2-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz.