London (AFP) – French Open champion Alexander Zverev romped to a comprehensive victory over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final, where he will face British wildcard Arthur Fery.
The second seed, who had never got past the last 16 in nine previous trips to the All England Club, snapped a seven-match losing streak against Fritz in fine style, winning 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in only an hour and 59 minutes. “I’m extremely happy to be in the semi-finals, especially against Taylor who I hadn’t beaten in two years,” said the German.
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Zverev is only the third German man in the Open era to make the last four at all the Grand Slam tournaments, after Boris Becker and Michael Stich — Germany’s last men’s Wimbledon winner in 1991. “I’m just happy to still be in the tournament, last year I was already practising on a hard court,” added Zverev, who lost in the first round in 2025. “It’s a dream come true to finally play well at Wimbledon, I’ve waited a long time for it.”
The 29-year-old will become the first player from Germany to play a men’s Wimbledon semi-final since Tommy Haas in 2009 when he takes on world number 114 Fery on Friday. He will be a huge favourite against the home crowd’s new hero, with reigning champion and world number one Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic awaiting in the final. “It’s ok, you guys can all be for Fery, I understand it,” Zverev said to the crowd. “I hope (it is) good for me, not so good for everyone else. I think it’s going to be an exciting day for both of us, the first time in the semi-finals for both of us. Obviously, it’s a ‘Fery-tale’ story for him, see what I did there?”
Having waited for so long for a maiden Slam title before winning at Roland Garros in his fourth major final, Zverev is now a serious contender for another on his least favoured surface.
Fritz was playing in his fourth Wimbledon quarter-final in five years and had not lost to Zverev since the 2024 Italian Open. But the sixth seed will have to wait until the US Open, where he was runner-up two years ago, for his next chance at a maiden Grand Slam title.
– Fritz struggles physically – Zverev took a tight first set courtesy of a break in the third game and saving all four break points he faced, including two as he served it out. Fritz was struggling with his movement in 32C heat and took a medical time-out early in the second set to receive treatment on his right knee.
The American managed to soldier on but coughed up the decisive break of the second set in the ninth game, a moment that Zverev celebrated vociferously. The last time the two met at Wimbledon in the 2024 last 16, Fritz came from two sets down to win. But Zverev showed he is a more confident player now with the Grand Slam monkey off his back, as he broke in the third game of the third before easing into the semis.
© 2024 AFP
