Zverev Breaks Past Fritz to Reach First Wimbledon Semi-Final
Alexander Zverev delivered a commanding performance to end his losing streak against an injured Taylor Fritz and advance to his inaugural semi-final at Wimbledon.
The second seed had previously lost seven consecutive matches to Fritz, trailing 10-5 in their head-to-head record, including two defeats at the All England Club.
However, with Fritz hampered by a knee injury, Zverev capitalized on the opportunity with an almost flawless display, securing a 6-4 6-4 6-2 victory on Court One. This marked Zverev's first win over Fritz in more than two years.
A month after capturing his first Grand Slam singles title at the French Open, Zverev is now just two victories away from claiming a second major trophy. The German raised his arms in celebration after sealing the win in under two hours.
"He has been beating me for two years straight and I'm very happy to be in the semi-finals after finally getting a win," Zverev said.
"Of course it's in the back of your mind that you haven't beaten an opponent for more than two years, he has beaten you a lot of times in a row.
That is always something you have in your mind, but today I knew I had to play a flawless match, I had to play an almost perfect match to have a chance and I felt like I did that today."
Next Opponent: Arthur Fery
Zverev will face Arthur Fery in Friday's semi-final after the British wildcard defeated Italy's Flavio Cobolli, who was the runner-up to Zverev in last month's Roland Garros final.
As Zverev served for the match, news of Fery's victory reached Court One, carried by cheers from Centre Court and the Hill.
"It is OK, you guys can all be for Fery - I understand and don't have a problem with it," Zverev commented when asked about his upcoming opponent.
"For him it is a fairytale story - a fairytale for Arthur Fery, see what I did there?
"I have to trust myself and trust my tennis and see what happens."
Fritz's Injury and Match Struggles
Fritz received a medical timeout at the start of the second set and was treated for his knee injury.
He missed most of the European clay season due to knee tendonitis. His team declined to travel with him unless he took time to recover.
Fritz played two matches on clay, losing both, but found form on grass leading up to Wimbledon, reaching finals at Stuttgart and Halle, where he defeated Zverev in the semi-finals.
However, Fritz appeared to struggle from the outset in Wednesday's quarter-final, losing serve early and finding it difficult to handle the power of Zverev's shots.
After dropping the first set, Fritz, a Wimbledon semi-finalist last year, called for the physiotherapist at the start of the second set, grimacing as he received treatment on his right knee.
Although he continued playing and appeared to move adequately, Fritz was unable to match Zverev's level, winning only eight points on the German's serve during the final two sets.
Zverev broke Fritz's serve twice in the third set, earned two match points with his 14th ace, and converted the first with another unreturnable serve. The players then shared a respectful embrace at the net.
