A set down, never out: Taylor Fritz into the last 16

Sixth seed Taylor Fritz booked his place in the Wimbledon last 16 by beating the dangerous Lorenzo Sonego 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5) in the third round. Across two hours and 35 minutes on Court 2, the American turned around a poor start through experience and the power of his serve.

Sonego was the hungrier player early on. Renowned for his fearless grass-court tennis, the Italian took the opening set 6-4 to raise the prospect of an upset. Fritz's response, however, was swift: lifting his serving percentages and seizing the initiative at the start of rallies, the American pocketed the second and third sets 6-3 and 6-4. With both men holding firm in the fourth, the set drifted to a tie-break, where Fritz produced the cleaner hitting on the big points, closing it 7-5 to remove any need for a decider.

The statistics point to a finely balanced contest: both players struck exactly 39 winners. The difference lay in Fritz's superiority on second-serve points and his scarcity of errors at the key moments. Sonego converted only one of the five break chances he created.

A Grand Slam finalist earlier in his career and a player who counts grass among his favourite surfaces, Fritz keeps rolling at this tournament. The American's last-16 opponent will come from the clash in his section of the draw. As long as his serve keeps firing at this level, Fritz belongs high on the list of names to watch in the second week at Wimbledon.

Match Stats
Score: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(5) · Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes
Winners: Fritz 39 – Sonego 39 · Unforced errors: Fritz 22 – Sonego 25
Breaks: Fritz 2/4 – Sonego 1/5

Image: Tennis Majors