Carlos Alcaraz. Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Carlos Alcaraz breaks longstanding Bjorn Borg record

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 8:16 AM ET

Carlos Alcaraz continues to strengthen his case as the most accomplished 22-year-old in the history of tennis.

On Sunday, the Spaniard reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev, becoming the youngest player in the Open Era to reach the final eight at a major 12 times.

The two-time defending Wimbledon champion broke the longstanding record held by Bjorn Borg, who was 22 years and 84 days old when he reached the quarterfinals of the 1978 U.S. Open. At that juncture, Borg had already won six majors (three French Open and three Wimbledon) and missed a seventh by losing to Jimmy Connors at Flushing Meadows.

At 22 years and 56 days old, Alcaraz was 28 days younger than the legendary Swede, having reached a dozen quarterfinals at slams. If he wins three more matches, he will also become the youngest player to win six major titles, surpassing Borg and Rafael Nadal.

12 - Carlos Alcaraz (22 years 56 days) is the youngest player in the Open Era to reach 12 Men’s Singles quarter-finals at Grand Slam events. Cruising. #Wimbledon | @Wimbledon @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/j5zhwtilb7
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 6, 2025

Alcaraz will next face Britain's Cameron Norrie, whom he defeated at the 2021 U.S. Open en route to his first career major. Since then, Alcaraz has prevailed in three of their five meetings, including the final at Buenos Aires in 2023 and the 2022 Cincinnati quarterfinal.

The crowd at the All England Tennis Club will be strongly rooting for Norrie, who is aiming to become the first Brit to win at SW19 since Andy Murray in 2016. Alcaraz, also a fan favorite, is ready for the challenge.

"I will try to enjoy it as much as I can," Alcaraz said of facing Norrie, via SkySports. "Wimbledon is super special. Every time I can step on this beautiful court it's a gift so I have to make the most of the time here. I know he's playing great, it's going to be an interesting one, I'm excited about playing another quarterfinal here."

Alcaraz has lost only two matches at Wimbledon since he burst onto the scene in 2021, maintaining a record of 18-2 on the hallowed grass courts. He is three wins away from becoming the fourth player to three-peat at Wimbledon and the second to achieve back-to-back Channel Slams (French Open and Wimbledon in the same year), further establishing himself as the most accomplished 22-year-old ever.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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