Can rising American Taylor Fritz topple Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon?

WIMBLEDON, England — Drenched in sweat and with a dejected expression, a devastated Taylor Fritz left the court at the All England Club in 2022.

It was the first major quarterfinal appearance of his career. He had come so close to pulling off the upset over 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal on Centre Court — and nearly closed it out in the fourth set — but with the eyes of the tennis world on him and the stakes at their highest, Fritz fell in a fifth-set tiebreaker. Nadal, who had struggled throughout the match with an abdominal injury, would later withdraw ahead of his semifinal match, and Fritz was left wondering what could have been.

Fritz had his chance to rectify the loss two years later when he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon yet again. Playing Lorenzo Musetti this time, it was Fritz who was the favorite and he looked poised to reach his first Slam semifinal. He convincingly took the first set before dropping the next two. He was resurgent in the fourth set to force a decider. But, yet again, it was not to be. He lost in the fifth set.

But on Tuesday, Fritz refused to let history repeat itself. The American and No. 5 seed — who has won two grass titles and recorded a US Open final appearance since that disappointing day last July — used his past experiences and pain to fuel him to a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 17 seed Karen Khachanov.

In a brief moment, everything he had been through seemed worth it as he advanced to his first semifinal at Wimbledon. The typically stoic Fritz, 27, roared to the crowd after match point, and couldn’t stop smiling during his postmatch interview on the court moments later.

“Obviously having played the quarterfinals here twice and lost in five, twice, I don’t think I could have taken another one,” Fritz said candidly to those in the stands at No. 1 Court. “So I’m happy. I’m really happy I’m going to get to play the semis here.”

Fritz will now have a chance to reach his first final at the All England Club — and become the first American man to do so since Andy Roddick in 2009 — when he takes on two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.

He believes all of his previous matches, at Wimbledon, the US Open and the heartbreaks in between, have improved his game and his chances to go even further.

“I’ve gotten to the point where [reaching the…