LONDON/STARNBERG, July 10, 2024
Lorenzo Musetti delivered arguably the best Grand Slam performance of his career on Wednesday, outlasting US-American Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. With this victory, the 22-year-old Carrara native became only the fourth Italian men’s singles semi-finalist in the event’s history.
Forza Lorenzo 😤
A Grand Slam semi-finalist for the very first time 🙌#Wimbledon | @Lorenzo1Musetti pic.twitter.com/ILW8prrE1H
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2024
“I don’t think I’ve realised yet what I have done,” Musetti said in his on-court interview. “I was talking with my team about how to play on the big stage… It was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to walk out on this amazing stadium and it’s been an honour for me.
“At the start of the match Taylor was really leading the game, especially with his serve and I couldn’t return well. In the second set I had a big reaction after breaking at the start and that changed my mind, my attitude. That probably made the difference and hopefully on Friday I will have the same one.”
De Minaur withdraws, Djokovic advances
Musetti will next take on Novak Djokovic, who benefited from the withdrawal of Alex de Minaur. The ninth-seeded Australian announced at a press conference that he was unable to compete against the seven-time Wimbledon champion. De Minaur mentioned jarring his hip during the final stages of his fourth-round win against Arthur Fils and was unable to recover in time for his scheduled match against the second-seeded Djokovic on Centre Court on Wednesday.
“I am devastated to pull out due to a hip injury,” De Minaur said.
“I have been struggling to sleep the last couple of days. I feel it [when] walking. Just hoping that I would wake up and feel it a little bit less or feel it to a point where I can at least go on court.
“But, again, I think it’s almost disrespectful for me to not go on the court close to 100 per cent against someone like Novak because there’s no point of me going out there if I’m not going out there to try and win.”
Rybakina, Krejcikova advance
In the women’s draw, former champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the semi-finals with a commanding performance against Elina Svitolina on Centre Court.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina outclassed the Ukrainian with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in just 62 minutes. She will appear in the stage of the last four for the first time since her 2022 title win, facing Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko on Court One to secure her first Wimbledon semi-final appearance.
Rybakina and Svitolina exchanged breaks in the opening games of a balanced first set until Svitolina lost her serve at love while trailing 4-3. Rybakina maintained her momentum into the second set, breaking immediately with a powerful forehand into the corner.
She secured another break at 4-2 and served out the match, reaching the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time since her 2023 Australian Open final appearance.
The defeat ended Svitolina’s run, preventing the Ukrainian from matching her semi-final appearance from the previous year. Svitolina, 29, expressed that she “tried everything in her power” but couldn’t keep up with Rybakina’s aggressive play.
Krejcikova began the 2024 season ranked World No. 10, but a back injury and illness caused her ranking to drop to 32nd. However, her impressive 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over fellow Roland Garros champion Ostapenko signifies a strong return to form for the 28-year-old.
Seeded 31st, Krejcikova had not progressed beyond the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament since her 2021 French Open victory at Roland Garros.
Look at what it means to Barbora Krejcikova and her team ❤️
A first semi-final for Barbora at #Wimbledon as she defeats Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 7-6(4)! pic.twitter.com/mUFhnUASzj
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2024
“It’s an unbelievable moment in my tennis career,” Krejcikova said. “I’ve faced many doubts, both internally and externally, but I’m incredibly happy that I never gave up. Standing here now and qualifying for the semi-finals is a tremendous achievement.”
