Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his title defense at Wimbledon 2025 with a thrilling five-set win against Fabio Fognini. It was supposed to be a routine match for the Spaniard against an opponent who hadn’t won a match this year. However, the veteran rolled back the years in a stunning display of shotmaking, even though he fell shy of an upset.
While Alcaraz survived a scare in the first round, many of his peers couldn’t do the same. 13 seeded players were eliminated from the men’s draw after the conclusion of the first round, the most at Wimbledon in the Open Era. The defending champion beat qualifier Oliver Tarvet 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round.
Seeded players are slated to face each other starting from the third round at a Major. However, with the ongoing edition of Wimbledon marked by numerous upsets, that’s not going to happen in every round. Alcaraz’s projected draw initially featured some big match-ups starting from the third round, though his current draw looks quite different after a string of upsets.
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Alcaraz's third-round opponent will be either 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jan-Lennard Struff. Their match was suspended on Wednesday (July 2) with both players having won a set apiece. The Canadian blew four set points to concede the second set. Given his up-and-down season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him lose once the match resumes on Thursday (July 3).
Alcaraz's expected fourth-round opponents were either 14th seed Andrey Rublev or 24th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Russian is still on track to reach the fourth round, though he first has to get past Adrian Mannarino in the third round. The Greek, meanwhile, was shown the door in the first round itself.
The Spaniard will not face a seeded player in the quarterfinals at all. All seeded players from that part of the draw went out in the first couple of rounds. Eighth seed Holger Rune and 31st seed Tallon Griekspoor failed to cross the first hurdle, while 12th seed Frances Tiafoe and 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka were shown the door in the second round. He will instead face one of Joao Fonseca, Cameron Norrie, Nicolas Jarry, or Mattia Bellucci in the last eight.
There are only two seeded players left in the third quarter, the section from which Alcaraz will meet his semifinal opponent. Fifth seed Taylor Fritz and 17th seed Karen Khachanov are those two players. Another player, 26th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, is still fighting for a chance to reach the third round. His match against Botic van de Zandschulp was suspended on Wednesday towards the end of the fourth set.
Fritz needed five sets to win both of his matches so far, and with another three rounds until the semifinals, there's a chance that he could be knocked out as well. Khachanov was also down two sets to one in the second round before staging a comeback to defeat Shintaro Mochizuki.
Notable names to lose from this section include third seed Alexander Zverev, ninth seed Daniil Medvedev, 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo, and 32nd seed Matteo Berrettini, all of them going out in the first round. There's a very real chance that Alcaraz doesn't face a seeded player in the quarterfinals as well as the semifinals. However, he's still on track to meet his biggest rivals in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz's potential Wimbledon final against either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic remains on the cards
Carlos Alcaraz is expected to meet either World No. 1 Jannik Sinner or 24-time Major champion Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon 2025 final. Both of them are still in the draw and will contest their respective second-round matches on Thursday, July 3.
Sinner commenced his quest for a maiden title at Wimbledon with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 win over compatriot Luca Nardi. Djokovic was pushed to four sets by Alexandre Muller, though he never really looked in any sort of danger.
Djokovic and Alcaraz have contested the past two finals at the All England Club, with the latter coming out on top on both occasions. The Serb emerged victorious for four consecutive editions from 2018 until he lost to his younger rival in the 2023 final for the first time. He's gunning for his record 25th Major crown.
Sinner is yet to reach a final at the grass court Major. A semifinal showing in 2023 remains his best result here as of now. Alcaraz and he recently locked horns in the French Open final, which was a memorable affair. The Italian held three championship points, but his rival fended them off in an impressive comeback to successfully defend his title.
While Sinner has owned most of the tour for a better part of the last two years, Alcaraz remains the only player who has his number. The latter has won their last five matches, with three of those wins coming in championship rounds. The Italian will be keen to redeem himself if they end up contesting the Wimbledon final this year.
