LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) – Taylor Fritz tamed mercurial Kazakh Alexander Bublik to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years on Monday as the American once again put himself in the mix to win a first Grand Slam title.
The rock-solid sixth seed dominated a first-set tiebreak after a battle of high-quality serving and was clinical at the key moments after that to win 7-6(1) 6-4 6-4 on Court One.
Fritz becomes the 10th American player to reach the quarter-finals on at least four occasions — a list containing the likes of Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.
Unlike those illustrious compatriots, Fritz has yet to take the final step. His only appearance in a Grand Slam final ended in defeat at the 2024 U.S. Open to Jannik Sinner.
He will face either second seed Alexander Zverev or Jiri Lehecka in the last eight.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Alison Williams)
