A Racquet at The Rock Exhibition Round-up | World number one Alcaraz stunned by Tiafoe as Pegula continues impressive streak over Anisimova

Carlos Alcaraz has made a return to the court at A Racquet at The Rock on December 7, but it turned out to be a negative result for the world number one who was defeated by Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. There was also a slight upset in the women's match, with Jessica Pegula finding a way past Amanada Anisimova 3-6, 7-6, 10-8.

At the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, thousands of fans came out to watch some of the best players in the world challenge each other on the court. As the 2025 season slowly creeps closer, players will be wanting to regain match sharpness and experience against some world class players. For Tiafoe, there is not many tougher clashes than the current world number one Alcaraz. This is the Spaniard's first exhibition in two days as he is set to travel down to Florida to compete in the Miami Invitational, facing off against the talented Joao Fonseca.

However, he had to focus on this task first. After taking a 2-1 lead, Tiafoe stormed back into the matchup after winning three games on the spin before holding to love to win the first set in commanding fashion. Nevertheless, it is never as easy as that when playing a six-time Grand Slam champion. The Spaniard won three games in a row to move 5-2 ahead, and wrapped up the second set with no issue to force a 10-point tiebreak decider.

It was the least of what the expected crowd deserved. It was very even at the start. Alcaraz was the first to have looked to take the advantage after going 4-3 and 6-5 ahead, but Tiafoe was always there to fight back. As the tiebreaker drew to a climax, the American found himself 8-7 ahead. Despite the pressure he was under, he kept his cool and saw out the tie to secure a first won over Alcaraz since 2021.

In the other match, the crowd had two home athletes to cheer. Pegula has enjoyed a rich vain of form against her fellow compatriot, and continued this after securing another win over the two-time Grand Slam finalist. After the duo were level at two games a piece, Anisimova turned up the heat and won three consecutive games to race into a 5-2 lead. Pegula salvaged a break as Anisimova tried to serve it out. That was one saved, but she never had a chance to level it after her opponent instantly broke back to clinch the set, continuing the pattern of 6-3 sets.

Pegula found herself in danger of losing her impressive win streak over Anisimova as she fell 2-0 behind. Despite this, she showed her gritty and determined mentality to drag herself back into this tie. She broke the serve to make it 6-5, but could not force a final deciding tiebreak. Eventually, she got over the line to force a second decider for the audience to enjoy. It would inevitably go the way of Pegula, taking her second match point. The pair will also travel to Miami to compete in the Miami Invitational, with Anisimova looking to finally get a win over Pegula.

A mixed doubles tie quickly followed. Alcaraz teamed up with Pegula, while Tiafoe and Anisimova partnered each other to culminate a fun night of tennis. It went to a match tiebreak situation, and it was very close. In the end, Alcaraz and Pegula managed to just win it 10-8, meaning Pegula was the overall winner on the day with win in both singles and doubles.