Alcaraz extends winning run to regain crown as king of Queen's

Carlos Alcaraz was not ready for the occasion when he moved within touching distance of another Queen's Club title.

- Tumaini Carayol

Carlos Alcaraz was not ready for the occasion when he moved within touching distance of another Queen's Club title. In the final stages of a bruising second-set tie-break, the score at 5-5, Alcaraz betrayed his nerves with a double fault under pressure from a soaring Jiri Lehecka. He soon found himself battling in a final set he would have preferred to avoid. Alcaraz handled this moment of adversity with the self-assurance and courage he has shown so many times before while demonstrating his growing maturity as he refocused to close out the in-form Czech 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 and triumph at Queen's Club for the second time in his career.

With his third title in a row following victories at the Italian Open and Roland Garros, Alcaraz has extended his career-best winning sequence to 18 matches and he is the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2008, when the two events were held in consecutive weeks, to win in Paris and at Queen's Club in the same year. Alcaraz has improved his astounding career record on grass to 29 wins and three defeats and he will head to the All England Club as the clear favourite.