It has been 26 years since an American man last claimed victory at Wimbledon, with Pete Sampras securing his seventh title in 1997. Taylor Fritz, however, is determined to end that drought, and his recent performance on Court No 1 suggests he may have a solid opportunity to do so.
A semi-finalist two years prior, Fritz showcased his skills by delivering a remarkable display, amassing 23 aces during his match against the 10th seed, Alexander Bublik. The contest concluded with a score of 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-4 in just one hour and 38 minutes. While Bublik also demonstrated strong service with 13 aces, Fritz’s 47 winners and only eight unforced errors propelled him into the quarter-finals, where he will face either French Open champion Alexander Zverev or Jiri Lehecka.
“When I got my opportunities to break, I took them. When he got in some service games, had some looks and there were some scary moments, I served really well to get out of those situations. I thought I played really well. “It’s a big thing in grand slams to get through matches without killing yourself on court. I had a tough one in the last round and it feels good to have a smooth one.” Fritz expressed after the match. “One of us went out to win the match and the other went out not to lose the match,”
Despite being broken once in the match’s third game, Fritz quickly broke back. From that point on, his serve proved unbreakable, while his strategic returns kept Bublik at bay, who occasionally attempted extravagant shots that often missed the mark.
The pivotal moment came during the first-set tiebreak, which Fritz dominated with a score of 7-1. Later, at 4-4 in the second set, the match was interrupted by loud noise from Centre Court and fans on Henman Hill. Once play resumed, Bublik double-faulted to fall behind 0-30, allowing Fritz to seize the break after two poorly executed drop shots.
From that moment, Fritz was in control. He clinched the second set after Bublik mishit a jump smash that hit the back fence, leading Bublik to laugh at the situation during the break. A break in the third game of the final set effectively sealed Bublik’s fate, although he did manage to execute one of his signature underarm serves to win a point. Ultimately, Fritz served out the match in style, marking his fourth appearance in the last eight at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, the fifth seed, Alex de Minaur, recognized a significant chance to advance deep into the tournament following the early exits of Ben Shelton, Jakub Mensik, and Arthur Fils from his section of the draw. Unfortunately, he fell short yet again, losing to Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Having reached the Roland Garros final last month and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon the previous year, De Minaur had higher expectations for himself. He initially led 5-2 in the second set and had an early break in the third, but his overly passive play permitted Cobolli to seize control.
“It breaks me inside. That’s the reality of it. Many, many hours get put into my craft, and countless years to kind of have moments like these. To not step up to the plate, it’s truly gut wrenching. “You go through moments in your career, times where you feel that there are opportunities to be taken … to make it to the next level … and to fall short constantly, you start doubting yourself. The goals, the beliefs, the dreams that you have, they kind of start fading away.” De Minaur reflected. “I found the solution to play my tennis against his tennis,”
He continued, “That’s why I think I won. I beat him also on strategy. I played an amazing level.”
Cobolli, celebrating his victory, noted, “I found the solution to play my tennis against his tennis. That’s why I think I won. I beat him also on strategy. I played an amazing level.”
He also mentioned that he and his family had no accommodation, perhaps not anticipating reaching this stage. Fortunately, an Italian family came to their aid by offering their home.
The match between Zverev and Lehecka was postponed until Tuesday due to the 11 PM curfew, with Zverev leading 6-4, 7-5, 3-3 at the time of suspension.
