Lorenzo Musetti delivered some of his finest tennis towards the end, propelling the Italian into his inaugural Grand Slam semifinal by enduring the powerful game of American 13th seed Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-6(5) 6-2 3-6 6-1 at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
The 25th-seeded Italian, aiming to join compatriot and world number one Jannik Sinner as a major champion this year, faces a significant challenge as he is set to clash with seven-times All England Club champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
"I haven't fully grasped what I've achieved yet. First, I want to thank all the Italian fans here supporting us," Musetti expressed on court.
"We joked about aiming to play on the big stages at Wimbledon. I've never played on Court One or Centre Court before. I had a superb match, especially since Taylor was in excellent form."
Musetti, who has defeated Djokovic once in six encounters and pushed him to five sets in their latest meeting at Roland Garros, displayed similar resilience against Fritz after a slow start.
After securing a tight first game, Fritz took an early lead at 3-1 when Musetti missed a backhand, and the American solidified his advantage with a strong forehand winner, setting the pace for the first set.
Fritz, the Eastbourne champion, continued to enhance his forehand and serve under sunny skies, occasionally eliciting gasps from the Court One spectators with his powerful baseline shots, and secured the set with an ace.
"I saved my best tennis for the end," Musetti noted.
"It wasn't an ideal start, as Taylor was dominating with his serve. The second set saw a significant shift in my performance and attitude, which made a big difference."
After exchanging breaks at the beginning of the second set, Musetti seized the opportunity to lead 5-3, and despite Fritz leveling, the Italian raised his game to win the tiebreak.
Musetti varied his play with chips and slices, forcing Fritz into unusual errors, and smoothly won the third set with two breaks, but he allowed the American back into the match by losing the next set.
As shadows enveloped the court, making conditions difficult for both players, Musetti swiftly established a 5-0 lead in the final set and concluded the match on serve when Fritz hit a long shot after a clumsy fall at the net.
Musetti's victory sets up a meeting with 24-times Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who advanced to a record-tying 13th Wimbledon semifinal after Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur withdrew due to a hip injury.
