Alcaraz conquers Queen’s and heads to Wimbledon on a high

Carlos Alcaraz has once again staked his claim as the undisputed king of grass.

This afternoon in London, the Spaniard, the current World No. 2, clinched his second Queen’s Club title, seeing off Jiri Lehecka in a hard-fought final (7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2) that lasted just over two hours. Despite dropping the second set, Charly showed steely resolve and dominant serving to close out the match in commanding fashion.

Fifth title and career high

It brought up Alcaraz’s fifth title of the season and marks an 18-match winning streak—the longest of his professional career. He now heads into Wimbledon with unstoppable momentum, entering the tournament as the clear favorite to lift the trophy at the All England Club for what would be the third year running.

Carlitos isn’t just riding a hot streak—he’s rewriting the rules of dominance in men’s singles, and Wimbledon 2025 is his stage to prove it once again.

Sure, past success at the All England Club makes him a frontrunner, but it’s his red-hot present that has the tennis world buzzing. No one on tour has racked up more wins (42) or titles (five) this season than the 22-year-old phenom from Murcia. Since launching into the clay court swing in April, Alcaraz has gone an eye-popping 26–1—the only blemish coming in the Barcelona final, where he was hampered by injury.

His path to Queen’s was a bit of a question mark—he vacationed in Ibiza, kept a low profile, and arrived in London with modest expectations, just looking to fine-tune his grass game. What followed was vintage Charly: composed, clinical, and completely in control. His career record on grass now stands at a staggering 29–3.

Level with Nadal and Feliciano López

With this latest Queen’s Club title—his second—plus two Wimbledon trophies already in hand, Alcaraz is now tied with Rafael Nadal and Feliciano López for the most grass-court titles by a Spanish player. And he’s just 22.

He’s gained the nickname “Grasscaraz” for a good reason—and Carlos keeps living up to the moniker with each breathtaking performance on the turf.

It’s almost hard to believe that just four years ago, he had never played a professional match on grass. Now, he owns the surface like it’s his backyard. Today, Alcaraz reminded the world why he’s become the gold standard on grass courts, overpowering a dangerous Jiri Lehecka—the World No. 30—with 18 aces, a 87% success rate on first serves, and zero break points faced. Not bad for a guy who was once more known for clay.

Even dropping the second set felt like a minor blip. Alcaraz had been flawless up to that point, using his serve as both shield and sword. He waited patiently for the moment to strike—and when Lehecka served to force a tiebreak in the opener, Charly broke him clean. The Czech, who had already beaten Alcaraz once this year, fought hard to steal the second in a tense breaker, but even that couldn’t rattle the Murcian machine.

“It was tough to lose the second set—especially that double fault at 5–5,” Alcaraz admitted afterwards. “I was playing great tennis, so it was frustrating. But I tried to stay positive and reset mentally. It worked.”

That mental reset paid off in full. Alcaraz dominated the third, sealed the win, and lifted his 21st career trophy — surpassing Carlos Moyà to become the fourth most decorated Spanish men’s player in the Open Era. He now joins an elite club as just the 12th man to win Queen’s more than once and added 450 more points in the rankings, tightening the race with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who stumbled this week in Halle. Alcaraz is now 1,130 points behind—and defending 2,000 points at Wimbledon.

Still, momentum is clearly on his side. “Winning this trophy again means a lot to me,” he admitted. “I came in with low expectations, just wanting to get comfortable on grass. So this win is really special—for me and my whole team.”

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