Carlos Alcaraz was not ready for the occasion when he moved within touching distance of another Queen’s Club title. In the final stages of a bruising second-set tie-break, the score at 5-5, Alcaraz betrayed his nerves with a double fault under pressure from a soaring Jiri Lehecka. He soon found himself battling in a final set he would have preferred to avoid.
Alcaraz handled this moment of adversity with the self-assurance and courage he has shown so many times before while demonstrating his growing maturity as he refocused to close out the in-form Czech 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 and triumph at Queen’s Club for the second time in his career.
With his third title in a row following victories at the Italian Open and Roland Garros, Alcaraz has extended his career-best winning sequence to 18 matches and he is the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2008, when the two events were held in consecutive weeks, to win in Paris and at Queen’s Club in the same year. Although he is a menace on all surfaces, Alcaraz has improved his astounding career record on grass to 29 wins and three defeats and he will head to the All England Club as the clear favourite.
“I came here with no expectations at all. I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better. But I just got used to the grass really quick, and I’m just really proud about it,” the world No 2 said.
“My goal was complete, and I’m not talking about lifting the trophy or making the final. It was just to feel great, to feel really comfortable on grass once again. So what I’m more proud about this week is the way that I have been improving every day.”
Alcaraz has built an excellent résumé at a faster rate than all but only a couple of male players in the history of tennis but for the stratospheric heights his game has already reached, and the many occasions when it seems he is capable of absolutely anything on the court, his form can also be temperamental.
Over the past few months, things have clearly shifted. In addition to his three consecutive titles, the Spaniard has now reached five consecutive finals, compiling a record of one defeat in 28 matches since the start of April. Off the court, Alcaraz has shaken off the outside pressure that suffocated him earlier in the year. On court, he has a greater understanding of when to pull back and remain solid on important points instead of solely relying on his superb shotmaking. He broke Lehecka’s service by continually putting returns into the court, offering few errors and making himself extremely difficult to beat.
Alcaraz’s serve, meanwhile, has been his most notable asset of the tournament. After his tight three‑set victory against Jaume Munar in the last 16, where he was extremely frustrated with his serve, Alcaraz practised hard and he served spectacularly in the final three rounds. His decision to change his service motion at the start of the year continues to pay dividends.
“I have been serving really, really well. Honestly, now I know how John Isner and Reilly Opelka feels when they playing,” he said, smiling.
This victory is even more impressive considering how life continues to move at warp speed for the 22‑year‑old. Only two weeks ago, Alcaraz was in the process of pulling off one of the greatest comebacks of all time as he toppled his great rival Jannik Sinner in the French Open final. He had only three nights in Ibiza to disconnect and reckon with all that he had achieved before duty called once more.
Alcaraz has spent the past eight days trying to work through the notorious, extreme transition from clay to grass along with the mental and physical challenges that come with following up such a monumental win. As has been the case so many times in his young career, he has faced all of those challenges with a smile and emerged from them with a significant trophy.
Elsewhere, Marketa Vondrousova closed out an impressive week by defeating Wang Xinyu of China 7-6 (10), 4-6, 6-2 to win the Berlin Open title, her first triumph since winning Wimbledon in 2023. The Czech’s career had already been derailed numerous times by significant injuries before her Wimbledon win and she has been repeatedly sidelined since then. Having fallen from her career-high ranking of No 6 a year ago to her current ranking of No 164, the 25-year-old defeated the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, the Australian Open champion, en route to her third career title.
