Carlos Alcaraz ends Ollie Tarvet fairytale to reach Wimbledon third round

LONDON - Carlos Alcaraz was in no mood to suffer probably the biggest upset in Wimbledon history as he ended world No. 733 Ollie Tarvet’s hopes of a fairytale victory to reach the third round with a clinical 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win on July 2.

Fired up by a home crowd who could not get enough of Tarvet’s tireless running and dogged resistance, the Briton was more than a capable sparring partner for Alcaraz, whose heavyweight hitting was in the end simply too much for the lowest-ranked player to begin the men’s singles draw.

Qualifier Tarvet's first-round opponent had described him as a wall, but twice defending champion Alcaraz is the sort of wrecking ball who pays little heed to such obstructions.

The five-time Grand Slam champion had to save eight break points in the first set, but lost only one game and broke twice himself to move ahead in the contest.

The 21-year-old Tarvet, a US college student in San Diego, finally broke the Spaniard’s serve to go 2-0 up in the second set but that seemed to jolt Alcaraz awake and he won the next four points to break back immediately.

Another break in the ninth game was enough for Alcaraz to take the second set but the contest still had flickers of life left in it.

The world No. 2 broke to go 3-2 up in the third set but Tarvet, who had no intention of lying down and accepting his fate, struck back in the next game.

Alcaraz was once again roused into action and once more won the following four points to claim the decisive break that allowed him to see out the contest.

A thundering service winner on match point brought the crowd to their feet, as much to acclaim Tarvet's efforts as 22-year-old Alcaraz's comfortable win.

Alcaraz patted the Briton on the back as he left the court before graciously saluting his opponent's performance.

“I just loved his game to be honest,” the Spaniard said on court.

“I knew at the beginning I had to play my best tennis.”

Meanwhile, Joao Fonseca buried his face in his cap before soaking up a roaring ovation after the Brazilian teen sensation battled past Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and matched his best Grand Slam run by making the third round.

The rapidly rising star of men’s tennis attracts supporters by the thousands at tournaments and the samba-tinged atmosphere when he is on court can often resemble football matches with many fans dressed in Brazil jerseys chanting his name throughout.

Cheers from Fonseca’s match echoed through the All England Club on a sun-drenched afternoon as he beat American Brooksby in a little over three hours to become the first Brazilian man to reach the third round since Thomaz Bellucci in 2010.

“It’s something to be proud of, for sure,” said Fonseca, who is playing in only his fourth tour-level event on grass.

“It’s a great achievement. I’m very proud of myself with the way I played today. It’s an opportunity to be here and play this amazing tournament. Being in the third round is just amazing.

“I’m very happy the way that I’ve developed on this surface, I’m evolving. So I’m happy with it.”

There has been immense hype around Fonseca after he beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets at the Australian Open for his first victory over a top-10 opponent and won his first ATP Tour title in Buenos Aires in February.

After a run to the French Open third round in May, the 18-year-old Fonseca became the youngest man to make the same stage at Wimbledon since Bernard Tomic in 2011.

His reward is a meeting with Chilean Nicolas Jarry and fans of both players are likely to create a boisterous atmosphere.

“I know Chile fans, they’re loud. Yeah, the Brazilians are loud too. It’s going to be nice,” Fonseca said.

“Nico is a nice person and also a nice player. He has a very good serve. He’s playing good on grass. It’s just going to be a new experience, very nice.

“I’m just going to enjoy, play my best tennis, and hopefully I can go to the fourth round.” REUTERS