Alcaraz Survives Spectacular Munar Challenge

Carlos Alcaraz could hardly believe that what had just been played at Queen's was a grass-court match. "Three and a half hours? We're on clay," he wrote on the camera after securing victory against Jaume Munar (6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-5) in three hours and 26 minutes, one of the longest and arguably most beautiful matches of the tournament.

What began as an apparent straightforward victory for the player from El Palmar, who was very solid in the first set, started to complicate when Munar showed his most competitive side. Despite this not being his preferred surface, the Mallorcan could challenge anyone if he set his mind to it. Munar did not back down, even as he smiled at Alcaraz's acrobatics and array of shots, and deserved more than anyone to take the second set.

He had a total of eight set points, but it wasn't until the eighth that he succeeded. In a tiebreak where Alcaraz squandered two match points, one on serve, Munar earned his reward. He finally converted one of the set points and extended the match a bit longer, threatening to become one of the longest in Queen's history since records began.

With the clock nearing three hours, Alcaraz and Munar began a physical contest where errors started to surface and service effectiveness dwindled. After two sets with only one break, the Murcian and the Mallorcan exchanged three. Alcaraz led 2-0, Munar came back to 2-4, and the player from El Palmar sealed it with 7-5.

"I can hardly believe I'm here," exclaimed Alcaraz, with his energy hanging by a thread and another record in his pocket. For the first time in his career, he has reached fifteen consecutive victories, surpassing his best records of 2022 and 2023, when he stopped at fourteen. It's the longest streak of his life, and this Friday he can extend it even further.

The victory also allows Alcaraz to earn points towards the ranking and start closing the gap on Jannik Sinner, who is defending his 2024 Halle title.