On Friday afternoon at Wimbledon, two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz defeated 5th seed Taylor Fritz 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 7–6(6) in a thrilling semifinal.
Alcaraz opened the match with a perfectly disguised forehand dropshot and broke Fritz in the very first game. Though Fritz served well for the rest of the set, that early break was enough.
The second set was tighter. Fritz came out serving well, landing a 136 mph ace and hitting aggressively off the forehand. Both players held serve until 5–6, when Fritz was able to break on a few unforced errors and a forehand winner to level the match.
In the third set at 1-all, Alcaraz used a forehand dropshot to pull Fritz forward, then followed it with a perfectly placed lob for the break. He held for 3–1 and maintained control. Serving at 3–5, Fritz double-faulted and missed a backhand long, handing over the set.
Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
The fourth was the most even of the match. There were no breaks of serve, and both players were strong on their service games. In the tiebreak, Alcaraz returned to his favorite pattern—dropshot, lob, overhead—and gave a fist pump as the crowd responded. Though shouts of “Go, Taylor!” echoed through Centre Court, support for Alcaraz was clear.
At 3–1 in the tiebreak, Alcaraz hit a smooth serve-and-volley. Fritz struck back at 4-all with a backhand down-the-line winner, then hit a 140 mph ace—his biggest of the day—to earn two set points. But Alcaraz saved both. On match point, he hit a backhand that landed just inside the baseline, forcing Fritz into a stretched forehand that sailed long.
“I definitely feel like I had good looks on those points in the tiebreaker to force a fifth,” Fritz said afterward. “I should have been able to get one of them… But I thought I played a good match.”
“He has so many different ways to win,” Fritz said.
Fritz pointed to Alcaraz’s serve as a key factor. “I feel like that’s the best I’ve seen him serve,” he said. “There’s zero weakness with his serve the way he’s serving today.”
The numbers reflected that: Alcaraz won 88% of his first-serve points and hit 13 aces to just 3 double faults. Fritz, who served 19 aces and had 6 double faults, won 80% of his first-serve points. On break points, Alcaraz converted 3 of 7 chances, while Fritz converted 1 of 2.
Fritz also noted how difficult it was to read Alcaraz’s second serve. “He randomly would be hitting 122-, 123-mile-an-hour second serves… and then also 85-mile-an-hour short kickers,” he said. “When someone is serving that much variety on a second serve, it’s really tough.”
Asked to compare Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, Fritz said Alcaraz’s unpredictability sets him apart. “Carlos has a lot of different ways to play. I never know what he might do… With Jannik, I feel like I can anticipate more.”
Despite the loss, Fritz took away positives. “The two sets that I played to the level I want to be playing at, I’m right there,” he said. “If I keep putting myself in these situations, I learn more about my game and what I need to do better.”
Alcaraz now moves on to face top seed Sinner in Sunday’s final—his third consecutive Wimbledon final.
Fritz, meanwhile, leaves Wimbledon with another deep run and a clearer sense of what it will take to reach the next level.
“My ultimate goal is to win a Slam,” he said. “And I’m going to have to beat these guys to do it.”