Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, needed one hour and 39 minutes to send Cameron Norrie packing 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 from Wimbledon on Tuesday, and the Spaniard sets up a high-stakes semifinal clash against American Taylor Fritz, who defeated Karen Khachanov to reach the last four. The win against Norrie extended Alcaraz's winning streak. He is now on a 23-match winning streak that began in April and is in the form of his life. This was also his best performance of the tournament to date, crushing a powerless Norrie with efficiency and panache. Thirty-nine winners compared to 13 for Norrie told the tale of the tape. It was Alcaraz who reached his brutal best just at the right time as he steamed ahead to notch up a hat-trick at the world's oldest Grand Slam event. Carlos won the Wimbledon men's singles title in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

“I am really happy with the level I played today against a difficult player like Cam,” the 22-year-old said on the court after registering the thumping win. “To play another semi-final here at Wimbledon is really special," he noted.

With two days to go for the semifinal, Alcaraz will be focused on redeeming himself before the tricky clash against Fritz. The World No. 5, Fritz, has been in fiery form and is being considered one to watch out for at Wimbledon this year. Australia’s Nick Kyrgios last weekend touted Fritz as one of the strongest contenders for the men's singles title. Why not? Having won 13 of his 14 grass-court matches this year, including titles at Stuttgart and Eastbourne, he has been right in the zone to stage a coup. That being said, Fritz has not won a set in two previous meetings.

Alcaraz is well aware of the challenge, and given his stellar track record at Wimbledon, he will hardly be a pushover. “He is playing great, the grass season for him has been really successful so far,” Alcaraz said of Fritz. “I have got to be ready for this battle. Two days is going to be great to rest up a little bit. I am just going to make the most of the time with my family, and for sure play some golf.”

Against Norrie, Alcaraz finished the first set in merely 28 minutes. Norrie tried to implement his tricks to test Alcaraz, but none worked. After conceding the opening set, Norrie changed his plan a bit. This included serving while positioned right next to the doubles tramline while on the advantage side, generating extra width with his lefty whip. It also included an extra spring in his step of flat-hitting inside the baseline, a nod to setting the tone instead of reacting to it.

But it is difficult to test a player of Alcaraz's calibre. He is a winner and knows how to find a way to counter his opponents. He was quickly up another break in the second, winning a brief battle of the drop shots before serving his way out of trouble when break point down. The Spaniard, in the end, won the second set with another break of serve.

Remarkably, Norrie last won against Alcaraz two years ago on a clay court in Rio de Janeiro when the latter was still a teenager. But two years is a long time, as the boy has grown into a champion player with an all-round game, looking to cement his name at the All England Club at the age of 23. Alcaraz, from 30-all, advanced to his second match point. And the two-time defending champion sent down a stinging serve to book his place in a third consecutive Wimbledon semi-final and put Norrie out of his misery. Given the form Alcaraz is in now, he could be too hot to handle for any player in the current rhythm.