ATP Tour

Zverev solves Fritz puzzle, storms into first Wimbledon SF

Alexander Zverev faced one of his most troublesome opponents on Wednesday at Wimbledon, but the World No. 3 turned that challenge into motivation and delivered a grass-court statement to break new ground.

Having lost seven consecutive meetings against World No. 7 Taylor Fritz, Zverev flipped the script with a clinical 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory after one hour, 59 minutes. Zverev, who won his first major title at Roland Garros last month and is playing with supreme confidence, is now into his first Wimbledon semi-final, becoming just the fifth German man in the Open Era to reach the last four at the All England Club.

“I hope to play two more matches here,” Zverev said with a smile. “But for now, I’m extremely happy to be in the semi-finals, especially against Taylor, who I haven’t [beaten] in more than two years. He's [been] beating me for two years straight… I played a fantastic match and I’m very happy to be in the semi-finals.”

After also becoming only the fifth active man to reach the semi-finals at all four major tournaments — joining Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner — Zverev can look ahead to a clash with British wild card Arthur Fery for a place in the championship match in southwest London.

Prior to his run this year, Zverev had never advanced past the fourth round in nine appearances at Wimbledon. Now, if he prevails in Friday’s semi-final, he will leapfrog Carlos Alcaraz and reclaim the No. 2 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday for the first time since May last year.

Ahead of his quarter-final clash with Fritz, Zverev predicted a match dominated by serving with few extended baseline exchanges. The 29-year-old delivered exactly that, combining relentless accuracy behind serve with composure in the biggest moments.

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After saving two break points in his opening service game, Zverev found himself under pressure again when serving for the first set at 5-4, 15/40. Yet the 6’6” German swiftly responded with four trademark deliveries — two aces and two unreturned serves — to wriggle out of danger and seal the opener.

Fritz took a medical timeout at 2-1 in the second set to receive treatment on his right knee. The American, who has battled knee tendinitis this season, returned to the court but was soon undone in one of the match’s most entertaining exchanges, with Zverev producing three razor-sharp reflex volleys before urging the No. 1 Court crowd to raise the noise.

While the intensity continued to build, Zverev’s discipline from the baseline began to separate the two. Fritz’s vulnerability behind his second serve became increasingly apparent, with the American winning just 44 per cent (11/25) of those points across the opening two sets. Zverev repeatedly stepped inside the baseline to attack, refusing to let Fritz settle whenever the first serve missed its mark.

Ironically, however, it was Fritz’s usually dependable first serve out wide that ultimately cost him. Zverev blocked the delivery deep onto the baseline before taking control of the rally to convert break point, earning the opportunity to serve for a two-set advantage.

Zverev completed the task without fuss before raising his level even further in the third set, overwhelming Fritz with blistering backhand winners and imperious serving to complete one of his most accomplished grass-court performances.