World number one, Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday put in a brave display from the second set to dispatch World number 2, Novak Djokovic to win the Wimbledon.
He went down 1:6 in the first set before digging in to win the second set 7-6 (8-6).
But it was the third set that left the crowd standing on their feet in ovation to what was quickly adjudged a Rafael Nadal versus Djokovic of old.
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After sitting at 3:1, both Alcaraz and Djokovic served up a pulsating match which ran for 26 minutes, seeing 13 deuces and 7 breakpoints.
At a point in the incredible 26 minutes set, Alcaraz’s sixth breakpoint appeared to have sealed the game to a 4:1 but Djokovic stopped mid-rally to challenge a call.
The umpire declared in his favour as the ball was a millimetre or two wide.
But that did not deter Alcaraz and Djokovic’s desire to hold his opponent’s serve evaporated as the Spaniard raced to a 5:1 lead before closing it at 6:1 to an astonishing crowd.
Djokovic was the first to come out of the block with a 0:30 lead in the 4th set but a combination of slow reactions and judgement tilted the game in Alcaraz’s favour but he could not take them.
He closed the Spanish sensation down to a one-all, before Alcatraz broke again to a 2:1 lead holding a deuce for a third when Djokovic hoped to level at two-all to stay in the game.
He then served to level at two-all in a game that descended into attrition before taking it 3:6 for a two-all four sets.
Djokovic had raced to a 2:4 lead before being cut back to a 3:4. He then served up the old Djokovic to race to a 3:5 lead in his bid to force a 5th set.
He indeed escaped being bled to death with a tense 3:6 win to take the game to the decisive set.
In the 5th set, it was all Djokovic who came flying with a 0:1 lead. But Alcatraz conjured up an incredible reaction to lead 3:1 when he left his opponent stranded.
Djokovic neared 3:2 before allowing Alcaraz to make it 4:2. He however regained his composure to cut it back to 4:3 then leading 0:15 as Alcaraz served.
Then Alcaraz threw in the last of his energy, racing to a 5:3 for a decisive set game.
Although Djokovic stormed back to make it 5:4, all that was an exercise in futility as Alcaraz held on to serve a match point at 40:30 to consign Djokovic to a defeat which would have made him equal Roger Federer’s most grand slam win.
He surrounded any glimmer of hope to the 20-year old Alcatraz fondly called Carlito at 1:6, 7-6 (8-6), 6:1, 3:6, 6:4 in a five game thriller in the game that lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes.
The British game is played on grass.