WIMBLEDON fans were left raging after BBC One showed delayed coverage of Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Andrey Rublev.
The stars collided in their round of 16 battle on Sunday, with Alcaraz emerging victorious in a four-set thriller.
All eyes were on Centre Court as defending champ, Alcaraz came back from a stuttering start to put on a sporting masterclass.
The Spaniard went a set down but then won the next three to book his place in the quarters with a scoreline of 7-6 3-6 4-6 4-6.
However, there was controversy early on regarding the BBC One coverage of the match.
Fans were left furious when iPlayer, which was up to speed, showed the match to be midway through the second set.
But on BBC One, terrestrial viewers were instead left to watch the full tie-break from the FIRST set.
That moment of action had long passed on the court.
And supporters flocked online to demand answers as to why BBC One was lagging behind the iPlayer.
One said: “I don’t get the logic. Coverage has been terrible this year.”
Another declared: “Genuinely can’t remember the last time their coverage was this messy.”
One noted: “Wtf are BBC doing not showing Alcaraz live?”
Another added: “The tie break happened 20 minutes ago…”
The most likely explanation is that BBC One had been showing the fifth set of Cameron Norrie’s match when Alcaraz’s tie break happened.
And rather than not showing the tie-break on BBC One at all, the broadcaster chose to show it behind time instead of just going live.
Alcaraz had beaten Fabio Fognini, Oliver Tarvet and Jan-Lennard Struff on his path to Sunday’s match.
As for Rublev, he had beaten Laslo Djere, Lloyd Harris and Adrian Mannarino before the defeat.
Alcaraz said he played “intelligent and smart” tennis as he made it eighteen wins in a row at Wimbledon.
Rublev, 27, served so well and managed to take the first advantage in the tie-break.
But Alcaraz’s hammer of a forehand, not to mention his 22 ACES, guided him through the two-hour, 43-minute encounter, which included 41 clean winners.
If Cameron Norrie is going to win their quarter-final on Tuesday, he will have to play the match of his life.
Alcaraz, who has gone 51 hours without losing in SW19 since 2023, said: “Andrey is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful player on tour.
“He plays aggressive forehand shots. It’s really difficult.
“You feel he pushes you to the limit with every ball. He pushes you side-to-side.
“I’m really happy with the way I moved. I played intelligent and smart. Tactically, it was a really good match, which I am really proud about.
“I always said it’s about belief. Tennis is a sport which can change on one point.
“The match can turn around on one point. You have to stay there all the time. Be strong mentally.
“I knew I was going to play better after the first set. The break in the second set turned around everything.
“I felt more comfortable and calm and thinking more clearly after that.”
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