Matteo Arnaldi – Photo PA Wire/PA Images / IPA
Appointment with the first victory at Wimbledon postponed for Matteo Arnaldiwhich in the 2024 edition of the Championships cede a Frances Tiafoe. The tennis player from Sanremo goes ahead two sets to zero, before suffering the comeback of the number 29 seed, who wins with the score of 6-7(5) 2-6 6-1 6-3 6-3. Once again an Arnaldi who in moments of difficulty tends to often want to overdo it, making mistakes dictated by haste. An important victory, however, for Tiafoe, in a period that is certainly not the easiest in terms of results and performances.
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It’s a dominance of the serves in the first eight games, then suddenly Arnaldi finds himself in difficulty at 4-4, when he commits a double fault at 0-15 and with another error he loses his serve for the first time at fifteen. Tiafoe has the golden opportunity to serve for the set, but wastes it badly, since with a double fault he immediately gives the break back to his opponent. It comes to the tie-break, where the Italian immediately goes ahead by a mini-break, gets three set points and the third is the right one for 7-6(5).
Tiafoe seems to be able to react and gets the break that is worth 2-0 in the second set. It is, however, a flash in the pan: as happened in the first set, he concedes the counterbreak and enters a prolonged break. There are six consecutive games by Arnaldi, who between one error and another by the American wins the set 6-2.
Suddenly the match changes, with the tennis player from Sanremo who fades and starts to give away a lot to his opponent. Also in this fraction, as happened in the first two, Tiafoe finds the break taking the lead on 3-1. This time, however, he does not give it back and places a nice partial that allows him to win the set 6-1.
The fourth set follows serves in its first phase, then at 3-2 Arnaldi is the first to have an opportunity, but he doesn’t materialize the break point that would have brought him closer to victory. The backlash was heavy after Tiafoe held serve at the advantage, because the American placed another partial leg-breaker of four games to zero which allowed him to take the match to the fifth.
