Taylor Fritz is into his first-ever Wimbledon semi-final, having really impressed Brad Gilbert as he defeated Karen Khachanov in four sets.
The American headed into the clash as the clear favourite, but there was a wariness about the dangers that his opponent posed.
A big server who had looked relatively untroubled throughout the draw thus far, the Russian has scored some big victories throughout his impressive career.
And, when he stole the third set despite Taylor Fritz easily grabbing the opening two, there was a worry that the match could flip.
Instead, the 27-year-old refocused to win in four, commanding praise from Gilbert in the post-match.
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Speaking live on ESPN immediately after the match, Gilbert was justifiably delighted with his compatriot’s display.
After all, Fritz not only showcased great physical and technical prowess, but also a mental toughness that has carried him throughout this tournament.
He began: “He’s got a really economical serve for a big guy. He’s got the nice 12 o’clock toss, and then he can hit all the spots, but he feeds off of his serve. When he’s flowing off the first serve, you know, he’s getting serve winners, and he’s getting serve plus one.
“Where he’s not comfortable is if he’s getting behind on his serve, and he really did a great job on his first couple of sets, getting early leads, and when you get early leads on your serve, you relax so much more…”.
Gilbert then honed in on one point in particular: “This is a point here where Taylor is just absolutely working Khachanov, running him side to side. He actually has a chance to put this ball away. This is like a little Andre Agassi play. No, keep the guy in it. Make it work a little more. Then goes behind for the winner.
“That was perfect work on that point. And look at the way that he spread his forehand around, all over the place who worked in the middle, cross line.”
In his post-match on-court interview, Fritz admitted something happened that he had never experienced before in that match. To come through such uncertainty will only add to his confidence going forward.
Taylor Fritz reaches his first-ever Wimbledon semi-finals
Fritz has made a little piece of personal history today, making Wimbledon the second Grand Slam where he has reached the semi-finals.
It did always feel like the All-England Club would be beneficial for last year’s US Open finalist, with grass almost perfectly suited to his big-serving game.
However, over the last two years, he found himself sadly defeated in the quarter-finals.
Having now surpassed that hurdle, he now awaits the winner of Carlos Alcaraz’s match against Cameron Norrie, which takes place later today.
There’s no surprise for guessing who Fritz might prefer to face for a place in the final.
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