Frances Tiafoe pushes Carlos Alcaraz to brink before falling in five sets

American Frances Tiafoe, who has been in the midst of an awful slump this season, pushed defending Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz to the brink on Friday before ultimately falling in five sets.

Taking advantage of an out-of-sorts Alcaraz for much of the afternoon, Tiafoe nearly pulled off the year’s biggest upset and had a chance to close the door in the fourth-set tiebreaker.

But Alcaraz, as he so often has during his young career, found a way to elevate his game under pressure and breezed through the tiebreak before taking total command in the fifth set to finish off a 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 win.

The 21-year old Alcaraz improved to 12-1 in his career in fifth sets. Tiafoe has now had to absorb two of those heartbreaking losses, having lost their previous meeting in the 2022 US Open semifinals that also went the distance.

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Tiafoe was hoping to use the opportunity against Alcaraz to turn around what has been an abysmal season and playfully said after his second-round victory that he was “going to come after him.”

For a couple hours, Tiafoe followed through on that promise, especially on return where he was able to consistently make Alcaraz uncomfortable with his depth and power. Despite being down an early break, Tiafoe managed to win the first set and then took command in the third with a combination of power and touch that left Alcaraz frustrated and questioning his shot selection.

But Alcaraz had all the answers in the clutch, keeping his potential title defense on track. Alcaraz is already looking for a fourth Grand Slam title in his young career, having won the French Open last month.

Tiafoe's competitiveness was a bit of a surprise given his recent struggles. He came into Wimbledon with a 13-14 record this season and had pulled out of a warm-up event at Queen’s Club in London after slipping on the grass and injuring his right knee, which has had a sleeve over it throughout the tournament.

Even at Wimbledon, it looked like Tiafoe was headed for an early exit when he fell behind two sets to love in the first round against Matteo Arnaldi. After that match, Tiafoe made waves when he told the media he had been losing to “clowns.”

“I hate to say it, but I’m just gonna be honest with you guys,” Tiafoe said. “I took the game for granted and got a little too comfortable.”

Tiafoe has been struggling with his form since last year’s Wimbledon when he got blown off the court in the third round by Grigor Dimitrov. After the season, he parted ways with coach Wayne Ferreira, who had helped Tiafoe play the best tennis of his career including his surprising run to the 2022 US Open semifinals.

A native of College Park, Maryland, Tiafoe will now return to North America for the hardcourt season. Tiafoe qualified for the Paris Olympics, which will be played on the clay at Roland Garros, but chose instead to enter tournaments in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., to start preparations for the US Open.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frances Tiafoe pushes Carlos Alcaraz to brink before falling in five sets