Clash of extremes at Wimbledon: Alcaraz and Tarvet were born in the same year, but the Spaniard showed why he is 700 places ahead.

Carlos Alcaraz and Oliver Tarvet were born in the same year, separated by just five months, three weeks, and three days, and discovered their passion for tennis when they were very young. But they built their careers on very different paths, and this Wednesday they starred in an "uneven duel" on the center court of the All England Lawn Tennis Club . A duel that pitted a former number one, winner of five "majors," and potential legend of the racquet against a player who, before this week, had played in only a handful of tournaments on the ITF World Tour , the lowest level of professional tennis. A duel for the second round of Wimbledon , in which the Spaniard, ranked two in the world and reigning two-time champion, effortlessly defeated the Briton, ranked 719th in the rankings and coming from a qualifier he entered thanks to a wild card , 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Tarvet didn't compete much as a junior. And when it came to making the jump to professional, he opted to try his hand at the US college circuit and enrolled at the University of San Diego . The great Briton made his senior debut in an ATP Tour tournament. Before this tournament, he hadn't even played a qualifying round on that circuit or in a Challenger. Alcaraz didn't have much of a run as a junior either, but that's because he started his professional career at 15. And he started reaping great results very quickly.

Oliver had just finished his first year with San Diego in the NCAA - the American collegiate league - when Carlitos won his first ATP title in Umag in July 2022. A few months later, the Murcian won his first Grand Slam in New York and became the youngest world number 1 in history.

Today, the Spaniard has accumulated 21 trophies—in addition to five Majors and seven Masters 1000s —and has earned more than $45 million in his career. The Briton, whose career-high ranking was 624th, has just one victory in the main draw of a major tournament, his debut in London against Swiss Leandro Riedi , and about $15,000 under his belt. And since he still has one year of his college career left, he won't even be able to collect all of his earnings from his time at the All England Club.

Alcaraz ➡️ 3R

The defending champion defeats Britain's Oliver Tarvet, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/T3ETEnMeIl

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025

Those differences on paper were reflected on the court this Wednesday. Although Tarvet threatened to make things difficult for his opponent in a first game in which he had (and failed to convert) three break points, Alcaraz settled into the court later and was clearly superior. He converted six breaks—and gave up two—added 38 winners (to the Englishman's 16), and sealed the victory in two hours and 17 minutes to celebrate his 20th straight victory.

"I think I did a good job enjoying the moment and trying to play good tennis at the same time. I've played against some really good players before, but not at Alcaraz's level," Tarvet said.

The Briton ended his dream on the London grass with a defeat, but with a positive record and the certainty of making a huge jump in the rankings. In the next update, he'll be 392nd, having climbed 341 places.

Sensational recovery 😤

This incredible point by Oliver Tarvet against Carlos Alcaraz is the Play of the Day, presented by @Barclays ✨ #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/cMfqBtML5t

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025

"I just love his game, to be honest. I knew from the start that I had to be really focused and try to play my best tennis," Alcaraz said, offering some kind words to his opponent.

The Spaniard, who won the title last month at Roland Garros, is awaiting Felix Auger Aliassime or Jan Lennard Struff , who will play this Thursday.

On the other hand, Taylor Fritz (5th) needed three hours and six minutes to beat Gabriel Diallo 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (0-7), 4-6 and 6-3; Cameron Norrie defeated Frances Tiafoe (12th) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 and 7-5; Joao Fonseca won 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 and 6-4 against Jenson Brooksby; and Andrey Rublev (14th), 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and 6-3 against Lloyd Harris.

“I hope there are no more surprises in this tournament,” joked Wimbledon top seed Aryna Sabalenka after beating Czech Marie Bouzkova 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. The Belarusian, who came within two points of dropping the first set three times, is the only one of the top five seeds in the women's draw to have reached the third round of the English Grand Slam.

Second set ✅ Second round ✅

World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka defeats Marie Bouzkova 7-6(4), 6-4 after a tough battle on Center Court 😮‍💨 #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/9l8VVWeyzp

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 2, 2025

In another match on day three, Italian Jasmine Paolini , fourth seed and last year's finalist, lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Russian Kamilla Rakhimova , joining Coco Gauff (2nd), Jessica Pegula (3rd) and Zheng Qinwen (5th), who were eliminated in the first round.

Sabalenka will now face London darling Emma Raducanu , who defeated 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3.