Fritz, Sabalenka Qualify For Wimbledon Open Quarter-finals
Taylor Fritz recorded a 6-1, 3-0 over Jordan Thompson to qualify for the Wimbledon Open quarterfinals on Sunday.
The American fifth seed was leading 6–1, 3–0 when Thompson retired injured to bring the contest to an abrupt end.
Fritz has endured tough battles in his opening two matches against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Gabriel Diallo, before overcoming Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in four sets in the third round.
He produced a dominant performance to break Thompson twice to seal the first set in just 21 minutes and led 3-0 in the second set.
Thompson had to call for a break as he was struggling with a thigh problem, he returned to the court, and slipped 40-0 down in the fourth game before deciding he was unable to continue, with the match lasting just 41 minutes.
Fritz expressed his sympathy for Thompson while praising him for showing up despite struggling physically.
He said: “It’s not the way I wanted to advance. He’s been grinding out five-set matches and even played doubles yesterday. Massive respect to him for showing up despite the physical toll.
“I was really excited to play Jordan today. I was excited to play some good tennis and it is just sad. He has been battling. He has been playing five setters. He was out playing a long doubles match yesterday, so he has been battling out here and respect to him for coming out. His body is not right, so I feel bad for him and hope he feels better.”
Fritz will face Russian 17th seed Karen Khachanov in his third quarterfinal at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Similarly, British star Cameron Norrie secured a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (7-9) 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win over Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry to reach the quarter-finals in a tough encounter.
In the women’s category, World number one, Aryna Sabalenka booked her place in the quarter-finals with a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win over Elise Mertens.
She was delighted with her performance while praising Mertens for giving her a tough time on the court.
Sabalenka said: “I am super happy with the performance. It was a battle. I was happy to get this win.
“She is a great player and great person. I know how smart she is and I knew she would fight until the very end. She really challenged me today.”
Fritz, Sabalenka Qualify For Wimbledon Open Quarter-finals is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
