Taylor Fritz thrilled by Carlos Alcaraz meeting as he bigs up Wimbledon chances

Taylor Fritz admits he's thrilled that he is playing Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon and not the French Open as he believes them meeting on grass will be an "equaliser".

The American has continued his impressive form and is into a second Grand Slam semi-final in less than a year. He will need to overcome the two-time defending champion if he wants to emulate his final appearance at the US Open.

Alcaraz arrived at Wimbledon off the back of success at the French Open, where Fritz saw his hopes end in the first round. The World No 5 claimed that it would've be a "nightmare" had they needed to play with the balls that were used at Roland Garros.

But taking on Alcaraz at Wimbledon appears a far less daunting task for Fritz, who is seeking to become the first American to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2023.

He said: "I'm happy that we're not playing at the French Open on clay with the French Open balls 'cause that would be an absolute nightmare (smiling). Yeah, I think grass is very much so an equalizer. It can be an equaliser. So trust in how I'm playing. I truly know the way that I played the first two sets today, there's not much any opponent on the other side can do."

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Fritz's huge serve has been a major asset this week and, after making it further than ever before at Wimbledon, he admits that grass is the surface where he excels as he bids to beat Alcaraz and end his three-year unbeaten streak at the All England Club.

He said: "I've made obviously a semi-final now, two other quarterfinals at Wimbledon. I think it speaks a lot that half of my titles are on grass, given that grass is such a short part of the year compared to everything else. Yeah, I mean, I think it would be dumb of me to say that grass isn't my best surface."

Fritz's self belief has also increased with his talent now being backed by impressive results in Grand Slams. He's found more consistency and has been able to mix it with the best players on tour.

"Yeah, it's given me a lot of confidence in those moments and situations, just having been there, that I can do it again. I've said this a couple times, but I feel like other years that I was in the quarter-finals here specifically, it felt like a really big deal for me. Going into the match today (Tuesday), I was much more calm and relaxed. It didn't feel like that, just having the experience of making some deep runs in some slams over the last couple of years."

Alcaraz though looked primed as he made light work of Brit Cam Norrie in the last eight, producing a stunning display to swat aside the home favourite. "My confidence is really high, I'm feeling great. It was my best match so far in the tournament," he said afterwards.