For one game at least, it looked like Carlos Alcaraz could be in for another surprisingly tough encounter on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
But after saving three break points in his opening service game against 733rd-ranked Oliver Tarvet, things got a bit more comfortable for the defending champion, who saw out a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 second-round win over the unheralded collegiate player from Britain.
While he had to face another eight break points along the way — saving all but two — it was a considerably smoother win than his 4½-hour, five-set victory over Fabio Fognini in the opening round.
Still, Alcaraz couldn’t help but be impressed with the University of San Diego student playing in his first Grand Slam tournament.
“I just love his game, to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I knew at the beginning that I had to be really focused and try to play my best tennis.”
Asked about his recent run of success — he’s on a 20-match winning streak, the longest of his tour-level career that included defending his title at Roland Garros — Alcaraz said the key for him the past two to three months has been finding the “right way to enjoy … doesn’t matter if I’m winning or losing.”
Alcaraz, 22, became the third man in tennis history to win 20 or more matches at both the French Open and Wimbledon before his 23rd birthday. The others are Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal.
He will next face either 25th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, as the Spaniard bids for a third straight Wimbledon title. The match between Auger-Aliassime and Struff was suspended, level after two sets, due to darkness, as was British wild card Arthur Fery’s clash with Luciano Darderi.
Alcaraz has already established himself as a massive fan favorite at the All England Club, but this was the first time he faced a British player at the grass-court Grand Slam — meaning crowd support was pretty evenly split.
“I know it’s not personal,” Alcaraz said.
For Tarvet, it ends a memorable first Grand Slam experience.
He got into the tournament through qualifying and then beat Leandro Riedi of Switzerland in the first round to earn a chance to walk out on Centre Court alongside the defending champion.
“I think I did a pretty good job of kind of enjoying the moment and trying to also play some good tennis at the same time,” Tarvet said. “I’ve played against some really good players before, but not quite the level of Alcaraz.”
Tarvet, a junior at San Diego, would be due to receive £99,000 ($135,000) for reaching the second round. However, per NCAA rules, he cannot accept prize money above any amount that covers his expenses if he wants to finish his last season of eligibility in college.
In other men’s results Wednesday, Frances Tiafoe was among the Americans to fall on Day 3 of the tournament, losing to local favorite Cameron Norrie in four sets.
Russia’s Karen Khachanov, the No. 17 seed, got past Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki 1-6, 7-6 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a hard-fought five-setter to reach the third round. Fellow Russian Andrey Rublev, seeded 14th, rallied from a set down to beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Also advancing was Nuno Borges, who became the third Portuguese player to make the final 32 at Wimbledon in the Open era (since 1968). He defeated Britain’s Billy Harris 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7).
ESPN Research, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
