The Wimbledon 2023 quarterfinals pits feisty, dogged young superstars in an Alcaraz vs Rune hit parade. Born days apart, these 20-year-old princes of the ATP Tour seek to firm up their grass credentials. Neither player has a large body of work on the surface.
Alcaraz vs Rune H2H
The head to head for Alcaraz vs Rune is 1-1, but both meetings have asterisks. Rune beat Alcaraz indoors at the Paris Masters on his way to the title last fall, but the Spaniard had to retire at 6-6 in the second set. Alcaraz bested Rune a year earlier at the ATP Next Gen finals, but the scoring was non-traditional.
This quarterfinal match at 2023 Wimbledon is their first true test.
Alcaraz vs Rune: Game style
Both Alcaraz and Rune hit beautiful forehands. Showing off his outrageous skill in this area, Alcaraz crushed a 104 mph winner against Matteo Berrettini last round. What made it so impressive was the distance. It was a semi-open stance, cross-court forehand from a position that didn’t appear to be overly attackable.
Alcaraz might have the slight edge in this shot, but keep in mind that power and speed on a given shot don’t win matches. Keeping the ball in the court does. If Rune can bait Carlitos into gunning that stroke, he might be able to draw some much-needed errors.
Both players have A-level serves, if not A+. At the moment, Alcaraz is more of a spot server with serviceable power. Rune hits one of the fastest second serves on tour. Both players have big kicks, which you wouldn’t think would very mean much on grass. However, the Wimbledon grass has been slowed, and there have been reports of heavy kick serves actually rocketing up in a punitive way this year. Slight edge goes to Rune in serve only because he can use both slice and kick on his second serve very effectively.
Alcaraz gets the edge in return. His skills on this front, particularly in returning first serves, are ratcheting up very quickly on this surface. In the last round, Carlitos held Berrettini to a very manageable 67% first serve points won. Matteo had been serving lights out. In the previous round that same metric was 86% for Berrettini. What a difference.
Net skills are essentially tied, though Carlos might have more touch. Both players are efficient: They approach the net a medium amount of times– with a very high success rate when they do venture in.
Alcaraz vs Rune H2H: Intangibles
Both these players are Energizer Bunnies who have at times struggled with cramps– less of a concern in the cooler London air. While Holger can display a temper at times, he seems to cool quickly. On the other hand, nothing fazes Carlitos. Even a lost point can often trigger a smile.
Finally, Alcaraz has spent less time on court this 2023 Wimbledon, but with both players being young and exceptionally fit, there’s plenty of fuel in the tank left for this quarterfinal clash.
