Disappointment struck American tennis fans as Taylor Fritz suffered a defeat at Wimbledon. But the Italian Lorenzo Musetti shone brightly. He impressively chased down Fritz and ended up winning in a 5-set thriller 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinal. While fans were amazed by his performance, so was Brad Gilbert- Coco Gauff’s coach.

He took to X and wrote, “wow Museratti just ripped the car 🚗 into 5th gear ⚙️ overdrive impressive stuff.” Comparing Musetti to the Italian luxury vehicle, Maserati, clearly shows how much Gilbert was thrilled.

His form in the match looked great. However, Fritz, who began the match with a winning form, failed to suppress his Italian opponent. This is the 4th loss that the American has faced in a slam quarterfinal, with his second at Wimbledon. He had a great chance to whisk out the Italian today, but he failed to hit better in the final set, despite stopping Musetti’s momentum in the fourth set.

The three-time Eastbourne champion, Fritz, started the first set of the match in his favor. But his 6-3 claim failed to convert into a big win against Musetti’s weapon today: his serve.

The 25th-seeded player in the ATP rankings won 76 percent (63/83) of points behind his first delivery, and that stability allowed him to express himself freely in return games. He continued to win 6 of the 13 breakpoints he earned in the match to strengthen his hold against one of the top servers of the tour.

Musetti snatched sets 3 and 4. However, he hit a forehand long as Fritz achieved a set point in the fourth. The Italian took charge in the fifth, going up a double-break at 4-0 into the open court. With Musetti serving at 5-1, 30-15, Fritz’s knee buckled, and he fell to the court. Ultimately, he closed it out on his serve to reach his first slam semifinal. He joined his fellow countrymen Nicola Pietrangeli (1960), Matteo Berrettini (2021), and Jannik Sinner (2023) as a Wimbledon semifinalist. Musetti, meanwhile, could not believe the magic he had done.

Speaking at the post-match conference, the Italian was over the moon after the victory. “I have no words. It’s tough to speak but I’ll try my best. I think I haven’t realized yet what I’ve done. Thanks to all the people and Italian crowd who are here to support.”

Furthermore, he expressed the feelings of being in his first slam semifinal. “I think I played a really fantastic match. Taylor was in great shape. Really really happy to be in my first semifinal here.” BUT… As Lorenzo Musetti’s tattoo reads, ‘Il meglio deve ancora venire’: the best is yet to come.

‘I liked to be challenged”: Musetti is confident ahead of his clash against Novak Djokovic

Once again, it’s Lorenzo Musetti vs. Novak Djokovic. As the duo prepares to face each other for the 7th time in their careers, fans are reminded of the thrilling third-round French Open encounter between the two. Although Nole won that match, Musetti’s spirit to force him to play to five sets garnered immense praise from experts and fans alike. With Musetti once again set to face the Serb, he is unafraid.

Speaking about facing Djokovic in the semifinals, the Italian star was all praises for his opponent. “He probably knows better than me the surface and stadium. Jokes aside he’s a legend everywhere… but here at Wimbledon in the last years, he made something really unthinkable for anyone. I’ve had the chance to play against him a lot of times. We know each other well.”

Djokovic is a seven-time champion on the green courts of Wimbledon as he eyes his eighth title. But Musetti is determined to block his way. “I think it’s gonna be one of the toughest challenges. But I’m an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged. I’ll try my best,” the 22-year-old stated.

Musetti’s win over Fritz has highlighted the standards Italian tennis has set in recent times. While Sinner could not continue his run at Wimbledon, his compatriot has done it. It will be fascinating to see if he can continue the trajectory and outshine Nole as well. What do you think?