WIMBLEDON, England — For one set and two games Tuesday afternoon, it looked as if Tommy Paul would become the first American to reach the Wimbledon semifinals since 2018. After a hard-fought opening set on Court 1 against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Paul blew the crowd away with his heroics, leading 7-5 after 72 minutes.
Paul managed an early break in the second set, which caused excitement in the stands and made many wonder if an upset was in the works.
But Alcaraz, as he often does, raised his level and fought back. First he took the set, then Paul's confidence and finally the match. Strengthened by a strong return game and 36 winners, Alcaraz emerged victorious with 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. He moved into the semifinals, while Paul was sent home.
Meanwhile, just a few hundred metres away, her fellow American Emma Navarro was playing on Centre Court for her first place in the semi-finals of a major championship after comfortably advancing to the quarter-finals. She had convincingly defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets in the fourth round and emerged as the unexpected favourite in the equally unexpected lower half of the tournament.
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But Navarro's hopes were quickly dashed against the up-and-coming Jasmine Paolini. The No. 7 seed, who reached the final of the French Open last month, took control early and never relinquished it, taking just 58 minutes to win 6-2, 6-1. Paolini became the first Italian in the Open era to reach the semifinals at the All England Club, while Navarro was the second American of the day with a disappointing result.
Even though their victories ended sooner than either of them would have liked, the tournament and the grass season can only be described as a success for Paul and Navarro.
Paul, 27, won the first grass-court title of his career at the Queen's Club last month and briefly became the top-ranked American after the title. It was his best result at Wimbledon in three appearances and his second major quarterfinal. Despite the loss, Paul said he took a lot from the past few weeks.
“I feel like I've learned something new every game, played a little bit better every game,” Paul said on Tuesday. “I've been attacking pretty well the whole time. I mean, I think what I'm most proud of is probably two weeks ago at Queen's when I [the] Title. I think it's always nice when you can go home with a title.
“This week I'm happy to have survived four games and to be able to play here against Carlos. But of course I want to win this game and have another big game.”
American Emma Navarro was defeated in her quarterfinal match on Tuesday. Robert Prange/Getty Images
For the 23-year-old Navarro, it was the latest milestone in a season full of such successes. After reaching her first fourth round at a major tournament at the French Open last month, she made the semifinals in Bad Homburg and then advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Navarro, a former NCAA champion who was ranked No. 57 this time last year, is expected to rise to No. 14 next week, her highest ranking of her career so far.
Navarro believes this is just the beginning.
“I played the best tennis I've ever played in my life in this tournament,” Navarro said after the loss. “It's really exciting to know that I have this level in me. I know I'll keep improving. I know this won't be the last time I'll be in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. I know I'll come back.”
And both players have a lot planned this summer. In addition to the North American hard court season, both have been named to Team USA for the Olympic Games in Paris later this month. Paul, making his second Olympic appearance, is expected to play in singles and doubles (alongside longtime friend Taylor Fritz) and Navarro will compete in singles.
🚨 23-stroke rally alert 🚨
This epic between Alcaraz and Paul is unbeatable for today's Match of the Day presented by @BarclaysUK. pic.twitter.com/cprilrt6CY
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2024
Only four women and four men are selected for the individual events at the Olympics based on their rankings, and Navarro had previously stated that making the team was “something I really wanted to achieve” all season.
And before the Olympics begin, Americans still have hope at Wimbledon. Fritz, who made headlines at the All England Club, came back to beat Alexander Zverev in five sets in a much-talked-about fourth-round clash on Monday. He will play Lorenzo Musetti on Wednesday and has a chance to reach his first major semifinal.
Fritz, who has won eight matches on grass since winning the Eastbourne title, came close to reaching the last four at Wimbledon in 2022 but lost to Rafael Nadal in a fifth-set tiebreak. Fritz said he felt very different during this series. In addition to the confidence he gained from winning the Eastbourne title, he said he had to work much harder to reach the last eight this time around and was no longer just happy to have reached the quarterfinals.
And no one will cheer Fritz on more than Paul.
“He plays Musetti, I let him play just two weeks ago [in the Queen’s Club final]said Paul. “We'll probably talk about that a bit more. Of course I hope he wins the whole tournament.”
“He's playing fantastically. I watched the whole match with Zverev yesterday. I'm excited for his next match.”
