Alexander Zverev ended his seven-match losing streak against Taylor Fritz with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory on Court One, reaching his first Wimbledon semi-final as the American struggled with a knee injury.
The second seed, who had trailed 10-5 in their head-to-head and lost twice previously at the All England Club, produced a near-flawless performance to secure his first win over Fritz in more than two years in just under two hours.
“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,” said Zverev, who won his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open last month.
The German will face British wildcard Arthur Fery in Friday’s semi-final after Fery defeated Italy’s Flavio Cobolli, the Roland Garros runner-up to Zverev. News of Fery’s victory drifted across to Court One as Zverev served for the match.
“For him it is a fairytale story – a fairytale for Arthur Fery, see what I did there?” Zverev said. “I have to trust myself and trust my tennis and see what happens.”
