Taylor Fritz finds way past Karen Khachanov to reach Wimbledon semis

Taylor Fritz achieved his best-ever performance at Wimbledon by defeating Karen Khachanov, reaching the semifinals for the first time with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4) victory. The American secures his return to World No. 4 – displacing Jack Draper – and awaits the winner between Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie for a spot in the final.

A close match was expected, and the American was the one who made the difference thanks to an impressive serve throughout the encounter. In the third set, Fritz's level dropped, but he managed to recover to secure the victory in four sets.

Fritz's start on serve was powerful, winning his first service games without trouble and capitalizing on his first break point in the second game to take the lead. In a few minutes, Fritz was up 3-0 and maintained control with his serve. He had a 79% first-serve percentage and won 89% of those points, giving his opponent virtually no chances.

This is how Fritz held onto the advantage, and without any new break points played for either player, Fritz ultimately closed out the set 6-3. The American had 13 winners against Khachanov's 9, while committing only 4 unforced errors compared to Khachanov's 11.

Fritz once again took advantage of his opponent's first service game to create some break opportunities early on, though this time Khachanov managed to navigate through the most complicated moment. Khachanov held onto his serve in the following games, although Fritz remained more effective when it was his turn to serve.

The World No. 5's first serve percentage dropped during the second set (just 48%), but it mattered little given his effectiveness on the second serve. After squandering a few break opportunities, the moment for the American came at 4-4: he secured a break to love and then held his serve to take the set 6-4, winning the last 12 consecutive points.

Things had been straightforward for Fritz, who gave no opportunities on his serve and had few long rallies to play. However, he couldn't maintain that level in the third set, after two almost perfect opening sets in terms of efficiency. This time, Khachanov showed his best performance on serve and seized the momentum of the match after securing an early break.

The surprise grew when Khachanov secured his second consecutive break, and within minutes, he had taken a 5-0 lead with strong service games. Fritz managed to hold his only game before the set ended, and Khachanov didn't hesitate to close out the set 6-1 in his favor, seeming to have found solutions for his opponent's serve.

Things started in Khachanov's favor as he again secured an early break, going up 2-0 on his serve. However, Fritz quickly reacted, recovering the break a few minutes later. In a battle of nerves in the final part, both showed their best tennis, and there were practically no long exchanges for the rest of the set.

Everything had to be decided in a tight tie-break, where Fritz found inspiration in the final stretch, winning three consecutive points from 4-4, which ultimately gave him the triumph 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). Fritz will now look to reach another Grand Slam final, having previously been a finalist at the 2024 US Open. He will face the winner between Carlos Alcaraz and Cameron Norrie.