After failing on nine previous occasions, Taylor Fritz registered his first win over a top five player at a Grand Slam in thrilling fashion at Wimbledon.
The American 13th seed looked to be on the verge of defeat before staging a mighty comeback to beat Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3, on Center Court. Making it only the third time he has ever beaten a player after dropping the first two sets. At one stage Fritz was a game away from defeat in the fourth frame but dug deep to wear down his rival, who reached the final of the French Open earlier this year.
“It was amazing to do that on Centre Court two sets down in front of this crowd. It’s a dream.” Said Fritz.
“The thing was I still felt I was playing really well for being down two sets. I was just thinking it sucked to be playing this well and to lose in straights. So let’s take the third, I took it one at a time. I had that belief. It was just a couple of points here and there.”
Playing on the court for three-and-a-half hours, Fritz withstood 19 aces from his opponent as he hit a staggering 69 winners compared to only 23 unforced errors. It is the fourth time he has reached a major quarter-final and the second time he has done so at Wimbledon.
“My team has always given me so much support and love. Most of the time I was looking up to them complaining about something,” he commented.
“It’s great to have them here and these two weeks we’ve been at Wimbledon has been a great team experience.”
The 26-year-old has now won 10 out of 11 matches played on grass so far in 2024 with his only loss being to Jordan Thompson at Queen’s. Before Wimbledon, he won the Eastbourne International without dropping a set in the entire tournament.
Fritz joins Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals at SW19 which is the first time multiple American players have reached this stage of the men’s draw since 2000. In the next round, he will play Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti who is currently in the middle of his best-ever run at a major event.
Meanwhile, Zverev’s hunt for a maiden Grand Slam title goes on. The German has previously played two major finals – the 2021 US Open and 2024 French Open – where he had a two-set lead before losing.
