Carlos Alcaraz continues title defense quest at Wimbledon as amateur Oliver Tarvet's run ends

Carlos Alcaraz had a straightforward second-round match at Wimbledon against British qualifier Oliver Tarvet (No. 733), who had received a wildcard for the qualifying rounds and surprisingly reached the second round of the tournament. The two-time defending champion took just over two hours to close out the 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Alcaraz had struggled in a battle against Fabio Fognini and was looking for a convincing win to build confidence for the upcoming rounds. The Spaniard now boasts 16 consecutive wins at Wimbledon and will face the winner between Felix Auger-Aliassime (25th seed) and Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round.

First Set

The match began with some difficulties for Alcaraz, who had to save three break points in the very first game. However, he soon took control, securing his own break on his second opportunity. The Spaniard went up 3-0 against a Tarvet who showed promising flashes early on but quickly saw the set slip away.

Tarvet responded by holding his first service game to reduce the deficit to 3-1 and then created a couple more opportunities. Nevertheless, Alcaraz navigated these moments with authority and comfortably took the set 6-1. Despite the score, nearly every game featured break points, and Alcaraz had to save a total of 8 break points throughout the set.

Second Set

Tarvet's solid performance, despite the adverse first-set result, was rewarded when he secured an early break in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead. Alcaraz immediately broke back, leveling the score. Tarvet managed to hold the lead until 4-3, at which point Alcaraz went on a decisive run: 12 of the last 14 points went in favor of the five-time Grand Slam champion, who then closed out the set 6-4.

Tarvet had managed to cling to his serve more effectively this time, while Alcaraz was now holding his service games with far less difficulty than in the first set. Only three break opportunities were played, and all three were converted by the returner.

Third Set

The lead did not cause Alcaraz to relax against an opponent who continued to show resistance. The Spaniard had an impressive 70% first-serve percentage, winning 68% of those points, numbers significantly better than his first-round performance. Alcaraz once again started the set by having to save break points, successfully navigating most of the moments where Tarvet had chances. A couple of cross-court breaks midway through the set finally gave Alcaraz the decisive lead.

Two consecutive breaks for Alcaraz secured his advantage, which he ultimately closed out with strong first serves, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 after two hours and 17 minutes. It was a respectable performance from the world No. 733, who, at 21 years old, will advance more than 300 positions to world No. 394.

Alcaraz showed clear improvements from the baseline compared to his match against Fognini. He hit 38 winners and committed 29 unforced errors, a significant reduction from the 62 errors he had in the first round. His next opponent will be the winner of the match between Auger-Aliassime (25th seed) and Jan-Lennard Struff.

Match Statistics Tarvet vs. Alcaraz