Preview: Wimbledon: Taylor Fritz vs. Karen Khachanov - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Two former Wimbledon quarter-finalists and in-form grass-court players this year, Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov, clash on Tuesday for a place in the last four.

The American No. 1 benefitted from Jordan Thompson's unfortunate injury on Sunday to reach his third last-eight match here, and he will face Khachanov, whose straight-set victories have book-ended epic five-setters on the way to a second quarter-final at SW19 ahead of their third encounter on the ATP Tour.

Match preview

While Thompson’s body gave way in the last 16, Fritz was the clear beneficiary of the Australian’s early retirement on Sunday, reaching his third quarter-final on the Wimbledon grass and doing so in consecutive years.

The American No. 1 fought through tough five-setters in the first and second rounds, beating Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Gabriel Diallo to get to the third round, where Alejandro Davidovich Fokina pushed him to four sets.

Considering previous exertions, Fritz spending just 40 minutes on court against his fourth-round opponent effectively gave the fifth seed a day off, and he is expected to be fresh for Tuesday’s match, aiming to reach the semi-finals at the Championships for the first time.

Having never beaten Khachanov, the 27-year-old, who enters their upcoming match with a season record of 29-11, is aiming for his third semi-final of the season on grass after winning titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne in preparation for the third Grand Slam of 2025.

The world No. 5 has undoubtedly recovered from a first-round exit at the French Open, claiming 12 wins from 13 matches on grass, giving him momentum as he seeks to end a losing streak against his Russian opponent.

While Khachanov's momentum may lag behind that of the American No. 1, the 29-year-old entered the third Slam of the season after reaching the quarter-finals in 's Hertogenbosch and the semi-finals in Halle, alongside mixed performances at Wimbledon.

The world No. 20's straight-set victories over Mackenzie McDonald and Shintaro Mochizuki in rounds one and four have been book-ended by five-setters against Nuno Borges and Kamil Majchrzak in rounds two and three, meaning the former world No. 8 has been involved in matches of varied natures going into a second Wimbledon quarter-final, and his first since 2021.

Having fallen in the second round last year, the 17th seed has surpassed his previous best at seven Grand Slams to reach his second quarter-final at SW19 and his sixth overall.

Only twice in six attempts has he advanced to the semi-finals — at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Australian Open — and he will hope for success on Tuesday to set up a semi-final against either two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or British favourite Cameron Norrie.

After losing to Novak Djokovic in his last Slam quarter-final, the Russian seeks improved fortunes against arguably the most in-form men's player on grass at present.

Tournament so far

Taylor Fritz:

First round: vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-7(6) 6-7(8) 6-4 7-6(6) 6-4

Second round: vs. Gabriel Diallo 3-6 6-3 7-6(0) 4-6 6-3

Third round: vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4 6-3 6-7(5) 6-1

Fourth round: vs. Jordan Thompson 6-1 3-0 ret.

Karen Khachanov:

First round: vs. Mackenzie McDonald 7-5 6-4 6-4

Second round: vs. Shintaro Mochizuki 1-6 7-6(7) 4-6 6-3 6-4

Third round: vs. Nuno Borges 7-6(6) 4-6 4-6 6-3 7-6(8)

Fourth round: vs. Kamil Majchrzak 6-4 6-2 6-3

Head To Head

ATP Cup (2020) - Round Robin: Khachanov 3-6 7-5 6-1

Shanghai Masters (2019) - Round of 32: Khachanov 6-2 6-4

Although Khachanov leads their head-to-head 2-0, the players last faced off five years ago at the ATP Cup. 

The American, ranked No. 29 and 31 in their previous meetings, is now a top-10 player and one of the most consistent on the men's tour, as reflected by his current No. 5 ranking.

Despite his firepower, Khachanov's 4-33 career record against top-five players highlights his struggles against the tour's elite.

We say: Fritz to win in five sets

Having both demonstrated resilience to go the distance several times at this year’s Wimbledon, Fritz and Khachanov’s quarter-final could turn into another lengthy battle.

Fritz has shown excellent consistency on grass this year and is favoured to beat the 17th seed for the first time, thus inflicting Khachanov’s fifth consecutive loss to a top-five opponent and 34th overall.

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