London [UK], July 6 : Taylor Fritz has reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the third time after his fourth-round opponent, Jordan Thompson, was forced to retire due to injury. The American, seeded fifth, was leading 6-1, 3-0 on No. 1 Court when the Australian decided he couldn't continue.
Fritz came into Wimbledon with momentum after winning his fourth title at Eastbourne last week.
In total, Fritz had spent nearly 10 hours on court in his first three matches but his fourth-round match lasted just 40 minutes, as Thompson, who had a heavily strapped right leg and was also dealing with back pain couldn't continue.
"It is not the way I want to go through," Fritz said as quoted from the official website of ATP.
"I was really excited to play Jordan today. I was excited to play some good tennis and it is just sad. He has been battling. He has been playing five setters. He was out playing a long doubles match yesterday, so he has been battling out here and respect to him for coming out. His body is not right, so I feel bad for him and hope he feels better," he added.
He will face Russia's Karen Khachanov next in the quarter-finals.
As for Thompson, he had fought hard to reach this stage, playing two five-set matches in the early rounds and then beating Luciano Darderi in four sets. The Australian, ranked 44th, was playing in the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time.
Khachanov, Fritz's upcoming opponent, booked his spot in the quarter-finals with a commanding 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Poland's Kamil Majchrzak.
Khachanov has been in strong form on grass this season, with an 8-2 record so far, including a semi-final run at ATP 500 event in Halle.