RANCHO SANTA FE — Taylor Fritz advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in his career, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday to become the last American man remaining in the singles draw.
Fritz, seeded No. 5, overcame a third-set lapse to secure the win in 2 hours, 36 minutes on No. 1 Court. The 27-year-old from Rancho Santa Fe had previously fallen in the quarterfinals twice at the All England Club, both in five-set losses.
Last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, Fritz entered the match with a 1-4 record in Grand Slam quarterfinals, including 0-2 at Wimbledon. Fritz will face two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in a July 11 semifinal match.
Fritz is seeking his first Grand Slam title and is the first American man to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon since John Isner in 2018.
Fritz did not face a break point through the first two sets but lost control in the third as Khachanov took advantage of a drop in first-serve percentage.
The Russian broke early in the fourth set, but Fritz responded with a break of his own and closed out the match in the tiebreaker.
Fritz, coached by Mike Russell and Paul Annacone, is 13-1 during the grass-court season, including titles at Stuttgart and Eastbourne in the lead-up to Wimbledon. He has won more grass-court matches than any other player this year, and the most by an American male in a single season since the ATP Tour began in 1990.
A former student at Torrey Pines High School, Fritz is currently the top-ranked American man and one of three U.S. players still alive in the singles draw, alongside Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova.
Shelton, 21, is in the quarterfinals on the men’s side. He has won 94% of his service games during the tournament and is coached by his father, Bryan Shelton.
On the women’s side, Anisimova reached the fourth round in her return to Wimbledon after taking a break from professional tennis in 2023.
A semifinalist at Roland Garros in 2019, the 23-year-old has been praised by former players, including Vania King, Mike Bryan, CoCo Vandeweghe, and James Blake, for her talent and renewed perspective on the game.
The United States has a long history of success at Wimbledon, with 33 men’s singles titles and 57 women’s titles. Pete Sampras was the last American man to win the tournament, capturing his seventh crown in 2000.
Serena Williams was the last American woman to win in 2016.
