Taylor Fritz Advances to Wimbledon Semifinals
Taylor Fritz, seeded number 5, achieved a historic milestone by defeating Karen Khachanov (seeded number 17) with scores of 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, and 7-6 (4). This victory secures him a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals, marking his first time at this stage of the tournament. With this triumph, Fritz becomes the first American man to reach the Grand Slam semi-finals on grass since John Isner in 2018. The grass season has been particularly fruitful for Fritz, who has accumulated an impressive 13-1 record, including victories in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. Fritz joins Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton as the only American tennis players to reach multiple Grand Slam semi-finals. In addition, he is the first active American to reach the semi-finals or a higher stage in a Grand Slam tournament not played on a hard court. Ben Shelton will seek to join Fritz in the semifinals on Wednesday, facing world number 1, Jannik Sinner. The last time two American tennis players reached the Wimbledon semi-finals was in 2000, with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.The United States hasn’t had a male finalist at Wimbledon since Andy Roddick in 2009.
Fritz, runner-up of the 2024 US Open, is looking for his first Grand Slam title. Wimbledon hasn’t seen a first-time champion since Roger Federer in 2003. The streak of 20 consecutive Wimbledons without a Grand Slam champion for the first time is the longest in the tournament’s history.
