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Carlos Alcaraz has secured his spot in the men’s singles gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics after a convincing victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime on Friday 6-1, 6-1. This marks Alcaraz’s fourth consecutive win against his Canadian rival.
Currently ranked No. 3 in the world, Alcaraz has yet to drop a set in the tournament at Roland Garros, the venue of the French Open. He is set to face Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match on Sunday.
If Alcaraz emerges victorious, he will become the youngest male player to claim an Olympic tennis singles gold medal at the age of 21, surpassing the record set by Vincent Richards of the U.S. during the 1924 Paris Games.
With this win, Alcaraz has now achieved an impressive streak of 12 consecutive victories, making him the youngest male player to reach the Olympic singles semifinals since Djokovic in 2008, following his triumph over American Tommy Paul on Thursday.
Alcaraz displayed his dominance against Auger-Aliassime, winning 15 out of 21 first-serve points and 9 out of 11 second-serve points. He also converted 5 out of 9 break points and secured five return games.
Djokovic grateful to make first Olympics final
Novak Djokovic, the top seed, has advanced to his first Olympics final after a straight-sets victory over Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 6-2. He is set to face Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, for the gold medal showdown on Sunday.
Djokovic and Alcaraz have previously met on six occasions, each winning three times. Alcaraz notably defeated Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final, claiming victory in straight sets for his second consecutive title at the All England Tennis Club.
The upcoming gold medal match will feature a clash between the youngest and oldest players. At 21, Alcaraz is the youngest male player to compete for Olympic gold in men’s singles, while Djokovic, at 37, is the oldest to reach the men’s final.
As a three-time French Open champion at Roland-Garros, the venue of the Paris tennis tournament, Djokovic is well aware of his Olympic journey and the significance of reaching the final.
“You know, I’ve been waiting for this for almost 20 years,” Djokovic shared in his post-match interview with NBC’s Britney Eurton. “I played four Olympic Games; this is my fifth and I never passed the semifinals. So I lost three out of four semifinals in my first four Olympic Games and I managed to overcome this big hurdle.”
“I must be honest and say that I was thinking about all the semifinals that I’ve lost,” he added, underscoring the personal importance of making the final for the first time in his career.
No All-American final in men’s doubles
The duo of Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz suffered a defeat in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, in the men’s doubles semifinal on Friday against Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peers.
If the No. 3-seeded Paul and Fritz had advanced, they would have faced fellow Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram, six-time Grand Slam doubles champions, in the gold medal match on Saturday. However, they will now compete against Czechia’s Tomáš Macháč and Adam Pavlásek for the bronze later on Friday.
Paul and Fritz secured their spot in the semifinal by defeating Great Britain’s Andy Murray and Daniel Evans in the quarterfinals, bringing an end to Murray’s tennis career.
Świątek takes bronze
Poland’s Iga Świątek clinched the bronze medal in the women’s singles tournament by overcoming Anna Karolína Schmiedlová of Slovakia with a score of 6-2, 6-1 on Friday.
Ranked No. 1 in the world and favored for the gold, Świątek needed just 59 minutes to secure the victory, following her 25-match unbeaten streak at Roland Garros coming to an end in the semifinals with a loss to China’s Qinwen Zheng.