Taylor Fritz continues to impress on the grass as he now prepares for his semifinal match at Wimbledon.
The American number one arrived at SW19 bang in form, following Fritz’s win at the Eastbourne International.
Carrying that momentum forward, Fritz battled through two five-setters in his opening two matches before kicking on during the latter rounds.
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When Fritz beat Karen Khachanov on Tuesday, he qualified for his first career Wimbledon semifinal, where he’ll take on two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Previewing Fritz’s semifinal tie, a former Grand Slam winner explained what he has found ‘extraordinary’ about the world number five’s Wimbledon run in 2025.
Todd Woodbridge says the fact that Taylor Fritz is still in the Wimbledon draw is ‘extraordinary’
During the latest episode of ‘The Tennis’, 16-time Grand Slam doubles champion Todd Woodbridge gave his verdict on Fritz’s efforts at the All England Club.
“I’ve done [commentated] three of his matches, and the fact that he’s still in the tournament is extraordinary,” he said.
“I rate it as one of the best mental efforts so far in the tournament to make it through the first round.
“Worst draw possible [Giovanni] Mpetshi Perricard, massive serve, records are being broken, 153mph, gets it back and wins the point. Getting through that showed me that he’s in a state of mind that he can go to where he’s got to.”
Trailing by two sets to love, Fritz fought back to beat Perricard 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-4, miraculously winning a point in which the Frenchman hit the fastest serve in Wimbledon history along the way.
Another five-setter followed, as Fritz continued to fight his way through the field at Wimbledon.
RoundOpponentScoreSets lostGames lostMatch lengthQuarterfinalKaren Khachanov6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-61192hr, 36 minsFourth roundJordan Thomspon6-1, 3-0 (RET)0141 minsThird roundAlejandro Davidovich Fokina6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-11153hr, 12 minsSecond roundGabriel Diallo3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-32243hr, 6 minsFirst roundGiovanni Mpetshi Perricard6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-42283hr, 25 minsTaylor Fritz’s route to the Wimbledon semifinals
Looking ahead to Fritz’s next match, where he will play Alcaraz, Woodbridge doesn’t think he will have quite enough.
“Can he beat Carlos [Alcaraz] though? Carlos’ last match was almost flawless; he just took it up a notch,” he said.
“He has this ability to be playing ok, and then ramp it, two gears, not one.
“I think that will be a great match, but I’m not sure that Taylor [Fritz] has enough in his game to be able to tackle what Alcaraz has brought so far in the tournament.”
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Fritz will certainly hope to prove Woodbridge wrong when he plays Alcaraz for the third time on the ATP Tour.
Has Taylor Fritz ever beaten Carlos Alcaraz?
Remarkably, world number two Alcaraz and world number five Fritz have played just twice before.
They first met two years ago in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, a tournament Alcaraz had won the year before.
In straight sets, Alcaraz made light work of the American 6-4, 6-2, advancing to the semifinals in Florida.
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Fritz was made to wait a year for a rematch before the pair came face to face once more at the 2024 Laver Cup.
With the title on the line, Team World’s hopes rested on Fritz’s shoulders, as he searched for a first career win over the Spaniard.
Things weren’t looking good in the first set, as Alcaraz stormed into the lead 6-2, but Fritz wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight.
A closer second set followed, but it wasn’t to be for Fritz and Team World, as Alcaraz won 6-2, 7-5.
Heading into the Wimbledon semifinal with an 0-2 record against Alcaraz, Fritz may well be up against it on Centre Court.
It is, however, important to note that the pair have yet to play one another on the grass, arguably Fritz’s favorite surface.
Unfortunately for Fritz, grass may also be Alcaraz’s favorite surface, as the Spaniard continues his hunt for a third consecutive Wimbledon title.
Only time will tell who will emerge victorious, but it will certainly be worth tuning in for when Fritz plays Alcaraz for a place in the Wimbledon final on Friday, July 11.
