The Italian No. 25 Seed Musetti will face Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon semi-final having beaten American Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Taylor Fritz, a three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and the first three-time champion in Eastbourne tournament history, arrived at Wimbledon with significant momentum. He secured his place in the quarter-finals with a hard-fought five-set victory over Alexander Zverev.
In contrast, his opponent, No. 25 seed Lorenzo Musetti, had not previously defeated a top 20 player at Wimbledon in three attempts. This was also his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final. So when Fritz surged to a set and a break lead, it seemed the American was poised for the semi-finals.
However, the match took a dramatic turn in the middle of the second set. Fritz inexplicably attempted a shot between his legs, squandering a break point. He compounded it with a backhand error. This lapse allowed Musetti to recover and dominate the next two sets. Although Fritz forced a fifth set, Musetti maintained his composure and secured a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 victory in just under three-and-a-half hours.
In the semi-finals, Musetti will face Novak Djokovic, whom he has defeated only once in six encounters. It will also be Musetti’s debut on Centre Court.
“Could have my shot against Nole”
Despite the formidable challenge ahead, Musetti remains undaunted. “If I play a certain way, I could have my shot against Nole,” he remarked.
Reflecting on his victory, a stunned Musetti added, “I don’t think I yet realise what I’ve done. Taylor was in great shape and I feel I played a fantastic match. I kept the best for the end. Taylor was leading the game in the first and I couldn’t return well, so I changed my attitude. That made the difference. Hopefully on Friday I’ll have the same one. I expect a big fight but I’m an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged.”
This triumph extends Musetti’s impressive run on grass, with 12 wins out of 14 matches in the current season. Prior to facing Fritz, his second-round victory over world No. 37 Luciano Darderi had been his highest-ranked win in four career visits.
“Except for the birth of my son, this is the best day of my life,” Musetti told the post-match press conference. To prevail against Fritz, Musetti needed to disrupt the American’s powerful serve, which had been broken only twice in 76 games leading up to their match.
