Taylor Fritz’s Wimbledon journey hasn’t been as smooth sailing as he might have hoped! But the American loves a good challenge. Starting off with back-to-back matches after his opening round was suspended due to darkness against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Taylor fought hard through the fatigue to reach the quarterfinals. Earlier, he made a shocking revelation about his health, stating his “body is actually feeling better after each match.” Despite a few stumbles and even a dive that left him bleeding in the last round against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, he doesn’t mind it. But facing Karen Khachanov is a whole different battle, and it hasn’t been easy!

On Tuesday, the fifth seed started strong, taking the first two sets against the Russian. He led 6-3, 6-4, and it looked like the match was swinging his way before disaster struck. In the third set, the American had to take a medical timeout after facing issues with his right foot or ankle. Edge AI on X suspects it might be “blisters” causing him trouble.

Whatever it was, it definitely threw him off balance as he dropped the set to Karen, 6-1. Right now, the match is in the thick of its fourth set. Karen Khachanov has always been a tough nut for Taylor Fritz to crack.

They’ve met twice on tour before—at the 2019 Shanghai Masters and the 2020 ATP Cup. Their head-to-head leans in favor of the Russian at 2-0. But unlike Fritz, who’s been in the Wimbledon quarterfinals twice before (2024 and 2022), Khachanov has only made it this far once, back in 2021.

Update: Taylor Fritz finally conquered his rival, sealing the match with a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) win over Karen. Not only that, but he’s now in the Wimbledon semifinals for the very first time.

He’s just one step away from becoming the first American man in 25 years to lift the trophy. The last to do it? Pete Sampras, who beat Patrick Rafter in the 2000 final—his seventh and final Wimbledon title. How does he feel?

Taylor Fritz opens up about latest milestone at The Championships

On court after his win, Taylor couldn’t hide his excitement. “I’m feeling great to get through it,” he said, beaming. “The match was going so well for me for two sets. I’ve never had a match really just flip so quickly, so I’m really happy with how I came back in the fourth set and got it done.” Even with a medical timeout and some drama, Fritz stayed locked in.

Things got out of hand at the start of the fourth set. With Taylor Fritz up 15-0, the electronic line call system glitched, calling ‘fault’ mid-point. Swedish umpire Louise Azemar-Engzell quickly stepped in, announcing, “Ladies and gentleman we will replay the last point because of a malfunction. The system is now working.” The crowd buzzed, but Fritz didn’t let it throw him off.

He dug deep, regrouped, and took control in the tie-break to clinch the win. “I felt I couldn’t miss and then all of sudden I’m making a ton of mistakes. Momentum was definitely not going to be on my side going into a fifth.” But he held his nerve, refusing to let the match slip away.

Taylor Fritz now stands as the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. Next up, he faces a huge challenge against either defending champ Carlos Alcaraz or Britain’s own Cameron Norrie. Can Fritz keep the magic going and book a spot in the final? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!