Lorenzo Musetti makes his Wimbledon semi-debut, defeating Taylor Fritz

Lorenzo Musetti (No. 25) continues his dream run after defeating Taylor Fritz (No. 12) 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to advance to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in his career. The 21-year-old player is the absolute surprise among the last four standing and will challenge 7-time champion Novak Djokovic for a spot in the final.

He has won 12 of his last 14 matches on the surface and becomes the fourth Italian to reach the Wimbledon semifinals, following Nicola Pietrangelli, Matteo Berrettini, and Jannik Sinner. For now, he moves up to world No. 16.

Musetti stuns Fritz in Five Sets 

In the first set, neither player reached 60% on their first serve, although Fritz had the edge, winning 81% of his. Both had opportunities throughout the set, with Musetti having a couple of break points early on but unable to capitalize. In contrast, the American broke on his first opportunity in the fourth game and then went ahead 4-1.

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There were no further surprises, as Fritz faced no issues with his serve for the rest of the set, closing it out 6-3. Up to that point, nerves were evident in both players, with abundant unforced errors (13 for Musetti and 11 for Fritz) and only four winners each.

The second set began with traded breaks: Fritz took the lead but couldn’t hold it as Musetti took advantage of his first opportunity. The Italian broke again in the eighth game, going up 5-3 with a chance to close the set on his serve. However, Fritz immediately broke back, leveling the score. The set went to a tiebreak, where a single mini-break for Musetti was enough to take it 7-6(5).

Taylor Fritz at 2023 Wimbledon.

The third set was easier for Musetti. He found an effective 86% of points won on his first serve, compared to Fritz’s mere 25%. He capitalized on Fritz’s drop in level, with the American committing 16 unforced errors in just eight games. Breaks in the first and fifth games secured the set for Musetti, who won 64% of the points played, closing it out 6-2.

Musetti’s dominance was clear over the previous two sets, but Fritz’s fighting spirit kept him in the match. He struggled to hold his serve, saving several break points, and took advantage of one of his opportunities in the eighth game to push it to a deciding set.

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Unfortunately for Fritz, he couldn’t replicate his earlier level, and Musetti brought his best for the fifth set. The Italian had 11 winners and 3 unforced errors compared to Fritz’s 3 winners and 7 unforced errors. Musetti won 68% of the points played, including 80% of his service points and 57% of his return points. He took advantage of the two opportunities he had in the final set to break twice, ultimately delivering a resounding finish against Fritz.

It was a disappointing end for Fritz, who had fought hard but couldn’t maintain his level in the final stretch. The American No. 1 suffered a fall when Musetti had two match points and appeared to have knee issues. After resuming Musetti’s service game, the Italian closed the victory 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals to face Djokovic.

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MUSETTI'S MOMENT 🇮🇹 🤌 The Italian reaches his maiden Grand Slam semi-final 💪 #Wimbledon | @Lorenzo1Musetti

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