Alexander Zverev has been a perennial underachiever at the All England Club, but not anymore. The German second seed stormed into his first-ever Wimbledon semi-final on Wednesday, defeating an injury-hampered Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Court One in just under two hours.
The win was arguably even more significant given the context. Zverev had lost seven consecutive matches against the American, trailing 10-5 in their overall head-to-head, with Fritz winning two of their previous All England Club meetings. Wednesday marked Zverev's first victory over Fritz in more than two years, a drought he admitted weighed on him. "That is always something you have in your mind," he said, adding that he knew he needed to produce a near-flawless performance to stand a chance.
Fritz's knee tendonitis, which forced him to miss most of the European clay swing and even prompted his own team to refuse travel until he rested, clearly resurfaced on the grass. He looked laboured from the very first game, struggled to handle Zverev's power, and called for the physio after dropping the opening set. The American had reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year and showed tremendous form in Stuttgart and Halle in the build-up, including beating Zverev himself in Halle's semis, but could not replicate that sharpness on Wednesday.
For Zverev, who captured his maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros just a month ago, back-to-back major glory is now a genuine possibility. His semi-final opponent will be British wildcard Arthur Fery, who upset Flavio Cobolli, the French Open runner-up, earlier in the day. A fairytale run meets a red-hot champion.
TennisDraw users backing Zverev for a deep Wimbledon run are looking very smart right now.
