After more than an hour of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune serving up a classic opening set of futuristic tennis, the door suddenly closed. Standing in its way was the World No 1, as Alcaraz took the match away from his young rival and raced through the second and third sets to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.
This first grand slam meeting between Alcaraz and Rune, and first Wimbledon quarter-final played between two men under the age of 21, burned immensely bright to begin with. The stunning attacking play on both sides, creating fun points and absorbing rallies, seemed set to last until it reached the fading evening light on Centre Court.
