The last American on the Wimbledon men’s team, sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz, will qualify for the quarterfinals after defeating Alexander Bublik 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday. Fritz has only dropped one set in this tournament, but he improved to 5-4 in his career against Bublik after picking up his second win of the year against Kazakhstan and fourth in his past five matches overall.
“When I had the chance to break, I took it and when he went into his service game and showed his expression, I played really well and hit a really good serve,” Fritz said after the match. “If two players serve big points and short points, it’s going to come down to key moments of the match.”
Fritz hit his forehand well and had a virtually perfect performance on serve with 20 aces and one double fault, ousting Bublik on Court 1 with relative ease. Bublik got his first break in the third game of the first set, but Fritz responded with a quick response. After clinching the set with a 7-1 tiebreak victory and coming back in the second set, it was all Fritz’s business from there.
Fritz won 12 of 13 net point chances, including a slice winner in the final minute of the match to quickly end his service game after Bublik thought he had put his opponent out of position with his drop shot.
Bublik defeated Francis Tiafoe in five sets in the third marathon, but he didn’t have the same dominance on serve that he showed against his American opponent. After ending the match with an underhand ace, he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief in the third inning, but at that point the match was decided on Fritz.
Fritz’s methodical and brilliant performance finished off Bublik in just under 100 minutes.
Fritz’s comfort level on the lawn is real
The victory was Fritz’s 47th on grass since 2020, the most by any player on the ATP Tour. Over the past three years, Fritz has ostensibly compiled a 33-6 record, highlighted by a run to the semifinals at last year’s Wimbledon.
“I really like being rewarded for taking risks and hitting good shots. I think (the grass) is perfect for my serve and suits my backhand,” Fritz said in Germany last month. “I think the return is pretty bad on any other surface anyway, so I’d like to see a similar return on grass. It’s not bad.”
Most wins on grass courts on the ATP Tour since 2020
taylor fritz | 47 |
Alexander Bublik | 39 |
Alex de Minaur | 39 |
Daniil Medvedev | 39 |
There’s nothing more comfortable for the active American than grass, and his game is built for the surface. He is one of the best on tour, with his first serve winning him many free points and his flat groundstrokes staying low in the court and shortening rallies when pressure mounts.
Fritz has already proven his suitability for the later stages of the All England Club after breaking through with a run in the semi-finals and has carried that confidence into his grass-court swing ever since. Fritz continues to rack up wins on the surface and now advances to the quarter-finals with a chance to continue advancing.
Of course, the challenge remains of getting the job done against the sport’s elite. If Fritz defeats Jiri Rehechka later on Monday, he may need to get past French Open champion Alexander Zverev to advance to the semi-finals. Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic are also in the draw.
On the surface, Fritz is playing with confidence and seems to strongly believe that his turn may finally come.
