WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz put aside a poor start and surged down the stretch to end Novak Djokovic's 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon by beating him 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an engaging, back-and-forth final on Sunday, claiming his first championship at the All England Club and second Grand Slam trophy overall.
The No. 1-ranked Alcaraz prevented Djokovic from what would have been a record-tying eighth title, and fifth in a row, at the grass-court tournament. Djokovic also was kept from claiming his 24th career major.
Instead of Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, becoming the oldest male champion at Wimbledon in the Open era, Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain, became the third-youngest. The age gap between the two was the widest in any men's Slam final since 1974.
Sunday’s match was a rematch of the showdown between Alcaraz and Djokovic in the French Open semifinals last month.
The first two sets were terrific, and each man won one. But then Alcaraz was overcome by cramping — he said later he thought nerves were the main cause — and Djokovic took the anticlimactic last two sets 6-1, 6-1.
Marketa Vondrousova won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday by defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the women's final.
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(© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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