Taylor Fritz advanced to the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the third time in his career with minimal effort on Monday, after Australian opponent Jordan Thompson was forced to retire due to injury early in the second set.
The American fifth seed was leading 6-1, 3-0 when Thompson, already struggling with a back issue throughout the tournament, took a medical timeout for a right thigh problem. After three more points, the 30-year-old Australian signalled his withdrawal, bringing a swift and anticlimactic end to the match.
Fritz, 27, had raced through the opening set under the closed roof of Court One, dominating with his powerful serve and sharp returns. He sealed the set with a flurry of aces, adding to his tournament-leading tally, which now stands at 79, a full 14 ahead of his nearest rival, Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.
The American broke Thompson in the opening game of the second set and looked poised to continue his dominance when it became clear Thompson’s movement was heavily compromised. Though the medical timeout briefly paused proceedings, the outcome seemed inevitable.
“Not the way I wanted to go through,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “I was really looking forward to this match. Jordan’s been battling out here with a lot of long matches, and I really respect him for stepping out today. I feel bad for him and hope he recovers quickly.”
Fritz, who reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open last year, is enjoying a stellar grass-court season, having already claimed titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. With his big serve and form peaking, the American remains a serious contender for the title as he looks to end a 25-year drought for American men at Wimbledon, stretching back to Pete Sampras’s triumph in 2000.
In the quarter-finals, he will face 17th seed Karen Khachanov of Russia in what promises to be his toughest challenge yet on the grass this summer.
