Wimbledon 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs Aleksandar Vukic preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Carlos Alcaraz brushed off Lajal’s challenge to set up a Vukic re-match from 2020.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz was tested by Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal on Monday. The Spaniard did end up pulling off a straight-set win, ensuring a perfect start to his title defence at Wimbledon 2024. Lajal made a fight of it with two competitive opening sets before running out of steam in the third.

The 21-year-old Spaniard saw off a free-hitting Lajal to record a 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2 victory in 2 hours and 22 minutes. Alcaraz treated the crowd to a mix of drop shots and a flurry of overpowering groundstrokes to set up a second-round meeting with Australian Aleksandar Vukic.

Vukic came through a gruelling five-setter against Sebastian Ofner on Monday night in London. The Australian saved a match point in the three-hour, 49-minute match to win 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(8). Ofner showcased some quality tennis with 24 aces and 72 winners but was done in by his 74 unforced errors.

Lajal, at No. 269 in the ATP Rankings, produced an impressive display on his Grand Slam debut but could not find a way past the three-time Grand Slam champion.

⁠Carlos Alcaraz vs Aleksandar Vukic match details

Date: July 3rd, Wednesday

Time: 6:45 PM IST (Tentative)

Venue: Court 1, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

Carlos Alcaraz vs Aleksandar Vukic preview

Aleksandar Vukic will be playing against his second top-five player on Tuesday when he plays Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. The 28-year-old Australian pushed Novak Djokovic to three sets in Indian Wells in March before eventually falling short. The 69th-ranked Australian is also fresh off a semi-final appearance in Eastbourne, where he lost to three-time champion Taylor Fritz in a two-set tiebreak match.

Facing Alcaraz will be a daunting task for Vukic. The Spaniard has won 13 of his previous 14 matches on grass. However, Vukic will be in a good place after winning a five-set encounter against the competitive and higher-ranked Austrian and Sebastian Ofner. Alcaraz did falter at the Queen’s Club Championships a fortnight ago when he lost to Jack Draper in the second round.

The winner of the Alcaraz-Vukic match will go on to play either Frances Tiafoe or Borna Coric in the third round. Potential quarterfinal opponents could be either 8th seed Casper Ruud or 12th seed Tommy Paul.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 1

Aleksandar Vukic – 1

Carlos Alcaraz – 0

The only meeting between Vukic and Alcaraz came at the French Open qualifying rounds in 2020. Vukic claimed victory in the first round of qualifiers to go up 1-0 against the Spaniard.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Carlos Alcaraz vs Aleksandar Vukic, Wimbledon 2024 second-round⁠ match in India?

Watch Carlos Alcaraz continue his title defence at Wimbledon against Aleksandar Vukic thanks to the tournament’s coverage thanks to the Star Sports Network. Disney+ Hotstar will also broadcast the second-round match in India. 

Prediction

Carlos Alcaraz took time to find his feet against Mark Lajal as he did in last year’s Wimbledon. The World No. #3 took until the fourth round to find his groove before going on to dethrone Novak Djokovic in the epic final in the 2023 Wimbledon title round. 

While Vukic has enjoyed a good run in recent times on grass, he will have to contend with the Spaniard, who can win matches even when not at his best. 

Alcaraz has come a long way since losing in the 2020 French Open qualifiers to Vukic. The Spaniard was briefly World No. #1, with the longest stint coming between September 2022 and January 2023.

Both players have won four of their last five matches. The highest-ranked player Alcaraz has overcome recently was No. #2 Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals. In Vukic’s case, it has been No. 23, Alexander Bublik.

Not surprisingly, Alcaraz, despite being a clay court specialist, has a not-too-shabby 17-3 (85%) career record when playing on grass. Vukic, meanwhile, 7-6 (53%) overall on grass. In 2024, Vukic is at 5-2 on grass courts, while Alcaraz is at 1–1. What would be concerning for Vukic is his 0-2 record in 2024 against top 10 players.

Result: Carlos Alcaraz to win in four sets.

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