Taylor Fritz pulled off an impressive upset at Wimbledon on Monday, defeating Alexander Zverev in five sets on Centre Court 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3.
Not only did Fritz, the No. 13 seed, defeat No. 4 Zverev on Centre Court, but he did so after losing the first two sets of the match.
After winning the fourth set on a tiebreak, Fritz seemed to carry all the momentum into the decisive fifth set while Zverev appeared to be spent.
In the post-match interview, Fritz admitted that he wasn’t discouraged about falling behind by two sets because he knew he was playing good tennis.
“The thing was I still felt I was playing really well for being down two sets,” Fritz said. “I was just thinking it sucked to be playing this well and to lose in straights. So let’s take the third, I took it one at a time. I had that belief. It was just a couple of point here and there.”
Those who have followed Fritz noted that he often looks up to his player box, seeking help and guidance from his coach. But he didn’t do so against Zverev, apparently feeling confident that he had control of the match. Meanwhile, Zverev let his frustration show, complaining to the referee as an outlet and shaking his head during a break.
An apparent knee injury may have contributed to Zverev wearing down. He wore a sleeve on his left knee after injuring it in a fall during his third-round match versus Cameron Norrie on Saturday.
Fritz said that Zverev’s knee was part of their conversation at the net after the match. However, Zverev later said that he was upset with some people in Fritz’s box who “may not be from the tennis world” and “were a bit over the top.”
With the win, Fritz advances to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for the fourth time in his career. He previously did so at the Australian Open earlier this year, last year’s U.S. Open and two years ago at Wimbledon (losing to Rafael Nadal). He will face Lorenzo Musetti (No. 25) of Italy on Wednesday. Zverev has never made it to the quarterfinals at the All England Club.
Two American players are now in the Wimbledon men’s quarterfinals for the first time since 2000. Fritz joins No. 12 seed Tommy Paul, who defeated Spain‘s Roberto Bautista Agut in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Collins upset by Krejcikova, ending magical run
Danielle Collins’ fantastic Wimbledon run has come to an end. After putting up a fierce fight in the first set, an injury slowed her down in the second. Barbora Krejcikova, the No. 31 seed from the Czech Republic, won 7-5, 6-3, upsetting the American Collins, who was seeded 11th.
The first set was tight. Collins won the first game, but then traded off wins with Krejcikova for the next nine games. Tied 5-5, it was Krejcikova who broke the stalemate. She won back-to-back games for the first time all match, then won her third straight to take the first set. As it happens in tennis, all of Collins’ work was for naught.
Just like the first set, Collins managed to win the first game of the second set. But it played out very differently this time. Krejcikova began to dominate, and Collins had absolutely no defense. Down 3-1 (30-0), Collins took an off-court medical time out, and returned a number of minutes later with her upper left thigh wrapped.
The time out didn’t slow Krejcikova down, and it didn’t make Collins return to form (at least not immediately). Krejcikova ripped off another two wins before Collins managed to nail down her first victory since the very first game of the set.
Down 5-2 with her back against the wall, Collins pulled out one last win to stave off elimination. But immediately after, Krejcikova nailed down the straight sets win. The No. 31 seed is into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal, where she will face Jelena Ostapenko, the No. 13 seed. Krejcikova has now made the quarterfinals in all four Grand Slams.
Krejcikova captures a Championships quarter-final berth 🇨🇿
A straight sets win over Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3 sees Krejcikova take the final place in the last eight 🔒#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/IfBekzuczw
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 8, 2024
Collins, 30, announced earlier this year that 2024 would be her final season on the tour due to her ongoing health issues. She has endometriosis (a uterine disease that can cause extremely painful menstrual cycles and infertility) and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints).
So of course, Collins started playing out of her mind. In WTA 1000 tournaments, she had career-best finishes at the Madrid Open (4th round), Qatar Open (quarterfinalist), Italian Open (semifinalist), and Miami Open (winner). She has also made the finals in three WTA 500 tournaments in 2024.
That earlier success is why she’s now ranked No. 11 in the world and seeded 11th at Wimbledon. It’s been quite a run, and despite the loss, it’s still ongoing. As long as this leg injury doesn’t affect her long term, there’s no reason this should slow her down.
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