Carlos Alcaraz extends impeccable fifth set record after marathon win over Fabio Fognini

No one at the All England Club, including Carlos Alcaraz, would have imagined that the Spaniard’s first-round match against Fabio Fognini would go right down to the deciding set. The seasoned Italian proved to be a very tough challenge for Alcaraz. It was, in many ways, a match of unforced errors, with both players committing almost 70 unforced errors each. It was Alcaraz’s impeccable final set record that eventually propelled him over the line. The final score read 7-5 6-7 7-5 2-6 6-1.

Alcaraz wins 14th fifth set of his career

Alcaraz currently holds the best win percentage in fifth sets in the Open Era. Now winning 14 out of the 15 fifth sets he has played, Alcaraz’s win percentage in the decider has gone up to 93.33 percent. Though it’s a relatively smaller sample size than those he has topped, Alcaraz still holds a considerable advantage in the lead. The second-best after Alcaraz is a joint record held by both the legendary Bjorn Borg and Johan Kriek, who have an 81.8 percent success rate next to their names.

Japanese pro Kei Nishikori is right behind the joint holders with 79.3 percent, followed by 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic at 79%. In an elite list of fifth-set tenacity, Alcaraz remains the only player with a 90+ final-set percentage. The only loss the Spaniard faced in a fifth set was back in the 2022 edition of the Australian Open. He lost in a last-set tiebreaker to Matteo Berrettini.

Apart from that one loss, he has won 14 such fifth sets ,which contain three Grand Slam finals in them. He beat Djokovic at the 2023 Wimbledon in five sets. He beat Alexander Zverev in five sets at the 2024 French Open. Most famously, he beat Jannik Sinner at the recently concluded French Open this year. He fought back from 3 match points down to win it in the decider. Alcaraz must shake this early scare as early as he moves into round two to face home boy Oliver Tarvet, who came through in an easy three-set victory in his first match.