In recent years, Taylor Fritz has established himself as the top American player in the ATP Tour. After reaching his first Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open, he has now reached his first semifinals at Wimbledon, defeating Karen Khachanov in four sets.
With this new triumph, he became the first American to reach three ATP-level semi-finals on grass in a calendar year since the inaugural ATP Tour season in 1990. Americans aren’t precisely known for their grass-court game, but Fritz’ performance on the surface this year has been his best so far.
This year, the World No. 5 has a 13-1 record on the surface that included a pair of titles at Stuttgart and Eastbourne. Overall in his career, Fritz is 41-24 with a 63.8% win percentage, according to ATP Tour data.
Now, he awaits his rival, which will come out of the match between World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and British star Cameron Norrie. Alcaraz is the defending Wimbledon champion, having won the title back-to-back in the past two years.
Fritz joins Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton as the only American men to make multiple major semifinal appearances. But Fritz is the first active American man to reach the semifinals or better at a non-hardcourt major.
Ben Shelton to play against Jannik Sinner to reach his third major semifinal
On the other hand, Ben Shelton is awaiting to confirm if he will be hitting the court, as Jannik Sinner is dealing with an elbow injury. The Italian canceled his practice session today after getting an MRI in his right elbow.
Meanwhile, Shelton, competing in just his third Wimbledon, is aiming to reach his first semifinal at the tournament. It would mark his third career Grand Slam semifinal, having previously reached the final four at the Australian Open, where he lost to Sinner in three sets. He also reached the US Open semifinals in 2023.