Taylor Fritz celebrates after defeating Alexander Zverev in a match at Wimbledon, in London, on July 8.Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press
Taylor Fritz turned things around after dropping the opening two sets to defeat two-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3 on Monday and reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
The 13th-seeded Fritz, a 26-year-old from California, equalled his career-best showing at a major tournament.
“It was amazing to do that on Centre Court [at] Wimbledon, two sets down, in front of this crowd,” said Fritz, who lost to 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals at the All England Club two years ago. “The thing was, I felt like I was still playing really well for being down two sets. I was just thinking it would suck to be playing this well and just lose in three straight, so let’s take the third. I had that belief.”
The 3 1/2-hour match, played with the main stadium’s retractable roof shut, was the 35th to go five sets at Wimbledon this year, tying the record for the most at any Slam event in the Open era, which began in 1968.
And Fritz’s comeback is the 11th from a two-set deficit in this edition of the grass-court tournament, more than in any other year.
The fourth-seeded Zverev was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open last month – after blowing a 2-1 lead in sets. He also lost in the final of the 2020 U.S. Open against Dominic Thiem – after wasting a two-set lead and a match point.
The German entered Monday having won all nine sets he played at Wimbledon this year and having held in all 41 of his service games – not even facing a single break point since the first round.
But Fritz broke him one time each in the third and fifth sets.
Looking ahead to this matchup, Fritz’s analysis was rather succinct – and, it turned out, completely accurate.
“We’re playing on grass. It’s just going to come down to serve and return,” he predicted. “It’s going to be a match of very few chances, and whoever takes the chances, kind of comes up with something, plays better in those tight moments, it’s probably going to make the difference.”
Both thrived with big serves and short exchanges.
They combined for 124 winners (69 by Fritz) and 56 unforced errors (23 by Fritz).
Fritz hit 15 aces, with zero double-faults, and Zverev delivered 19 aces while competing with a grey sleeve on left knee, which he hurt during a fall in his previous match and said had a bone bruise.
“It was fairly obvious that I wasn’t 100 per cent today, right? I wasn’t moving, really, the entire match. I wasn’t running for drop shots. If I was running for a drop shot, I was limping there more than running,” Zverev said. “Towards the end – I mean, I thought from the fourth and fifth set – I was really struggling to serve, as well, to jump off on my leg, to create some power.”
The key stat, really, was this: Fritz faced only two break points and saved one, while accumulating four and converting two.
When it ended, Fritz threw his head back and let out a yell, before meeting Zverev at the net for an extended chat.
“It felt like in the fifth set, he wasn’t moving as well,” Fritz said. “So I just wished him the best.”
Fritz joins good pal Tommy Paul in the final eight, giving the United States two men that deep in the tournament for the first time since 2000. The other quarter-final on the bottom half of the men’s draw will be No. 9 Alex de Minaur against seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, who dismissed No. 15 Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in Monday night’s last match on Centre Court.
Spectators often let out loud noises that sounded like “Ruuuuune” – the young Dane often gets saluted that way during matches – but Djokovic thought the folks in the stands were saying “Booooo,” and he let them know he was not pleased.
Musetti gave Italy three singles quarter-finalists at a major for the first time – he got there with No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men’s bracket, and No. 7 Jasmine Paolini is still around in the women’s field – by beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, and de Minaur eliminated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
De Minaur jarred his hip at the end of his victory.
“Kind of was a little bit ginger. … Probably a little bit of a scare more than anything,” he said. “Situation was tight. In a way helped me relax and finish off the match.”
Winners in women’s fourth-round matches included 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, No. 21 seed Elina Svitolina – who wore a black ribbon on her shirt to mourn victims of Russian missile attacks on her home country, Ukraine – and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Rybakina faces Svitolina in the quarter-finals, and Ostapenko’s next opponent will be 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova.
Rybakina moved on when No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya stopped playing because of a wrist injury, Svitolina overwhelmed Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-1, Krejcikova defeated No. 11 Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3, and Ostapenko was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against Yulia Putintseva, who beat No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round.
Asked whether it was tough to stay grounded after that big win, Putintseva scoffed.
“Not at all,” she said. “What can it affect? Why should it affect me if it was three days ago?”