Alcaraz gets past 733rd-ranked Tarvet in straight sets at Wimbledon

LONDON (AP) — For one game at least, it looked like Carlos Alcaraz could be in for another surprisingly tough encounter on Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

But after saving three break points in his opening service game against 733rd-ranked Ollie Tarvet, things got a bit more comfortable for the defending champion, who saw out a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 second-round win over the unheralded collegiate player from Britain.

While he had to face another eight break points along the way — saving all but two — it was a considerably smoother win than his 4 1/2 hour, five-set victory over Fabio Fognini in the opening round.

Still, Alcaraz couldn’t help but be impressed with the University of San Diego student playing in his first Grand Slam tournament.

“I just love his game to be honest,” Alcaraz said. “I knew at the beginning that I had to be really focused and try to play my best tennis.”

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain falls as he returns the ball to Oliver Tarvet of Britain in his second round men’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

For Tarvet, it ends a memorable first Grand Slam experience.

He got into the tournament through qualifying and then beat Leandro Riedi of Switzerland in the first round to earn a chance to walk out on Centre Court alongside the defending champion.

“I think I did a pretty good job of kind of enjoying the moment and trying to also play some good tennis at the same time,” Tarvet said. “I’ve played against some really good players before, but not quite the level of Alcaraz.”

Alcaraz took his overall winning streak to 20 matches.

After a slew of seeded players went out in the first round, he joined women’s No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in advancing in straight sets on Wednesday.

Oliver Tarvet of Britain returns the ball to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in his second round men’s singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 2, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

He will next face either 25th-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round, as the Spaniard bids for a third straight Wimbledon title.

Alcaraz has already established himself as a massive fan favorite at the All England Club, but this was the first time he faced a British player at the grass-court Grand Slam — meaning crowd support was pretty evenly split.

“I know it’s not personal,” Alcaraz said.