Personal time needed to be taken at the start of the tournament in Wimbledon and it feels like I've benefited from avoiding the carnage that took place through the first week of the third Grand Slam of the season.
In the main the top names in the men's draw have made it through to the last eight, although Jannik Sinner was very fortunate to come through his Fourth Round match with Grigor Dimitrov in the most unexpected of ways.
However, the WTA event is once again about as open as you can imagine and none of the remaining eight players should feel like this is not a huge opportunity for them to win a Grand Slam title. Unexpected Ladies Champions have become the norm at SW19 in recent years and, outside of Aryna Sabalenka, the same is likely to happen in 2025.
Iga Swiatek remains active in the draw, but her previous poor form on the grass means she remains vulnerable despite a strong run.
We are into the last eight of both draws and selections will be made from the final few days.
That begins with the Day 9 Picks from two of the four Quarter Final matches, which can be read below.
Taylor Fritz - 1.5 sets v Karen Khachanov: American tennis has seen plenty of those playing on the WTA Tour having success at the Majors, but over twenty years have passed since a male player has been able to pick up one of the big four titles.
One of the big hopes to break that run has been Taylor Fritz, but the Quarter Final Round had proven to be too much to handle with four exits at that stage being as good as it got. That was before the run to the US Open Final last year, but 2025 has been a real disappointment for Taylor Fritz having failed to reach the second week in Melbourne or Paris.
Two of the five Grand Slam Quarter Finals that have been reached by Taylor Fritz have been right here at Wimbledon and so it is no surprise to see him back in that Round. It backs up what has been a strong run on the grass over the last month with two titles picked up and Taylor Fritz will have plenty of belief in his tennis being good enough to win the title here on Sunday.
He has to be considered a strong favourite to beat Karen Khachanov, who has been slipping back in the World Rankings, but who deserves respect having been a former Quarter Finalist at Wimbledon in his own right. Decent runs had been produced in the build up to the 2025 tournament, but Karen Khachanov has also benefited from a number of upsets in his portion of the draw.
It has meant recording wins over players Ranked at Number 88, 147, 37 and 109 in his four wins at the tournament.
Karen Khachanov has perhaps made harder work than he should have to win his four matches at the tournament and he is going to have to serve better than he has at times if he is going to earn the upset.
Two previous wins over Taylor Fritz will give Karen Khachanov belief, but those were both recorded at a time when he would have been the higher Ranked player compared with the American. That has switched around ahead of this Quarter Final and you do feel the match will be won or lost on the racquet of the World Number 5.
Taylor Fritz has become one of the leading performers on the grass courts at this moment in time and that should see him find a way to come through in three or four sets. None of those will be easy to win, but Fritz can out-serve the World Number 20 and earn his first ever spot in the Wimbledon Semi Final.
Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 games v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: Back in 2019, a 17 year old Amanda Anisimova made a stunning run through to the Semi Final at the French Open and there were some huge expectations that would be heaped onto her shoulders.
At 20 years old, Amanda Anisimova made the Quarter Final at Wimbledon, but a year later she decided to take a break from tennis having mentioned potential burnout as a reason. Personal issues had taken a toll and the World Ranking slipped well outside the top 200, but the benefits can be seen in July 2025.
Just prior to Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova reached her career best World Ranking just outside of the top 10 and at the end of this tournament she will be entering those positions for the first time. A run to the Queen's Club Final showed how comfortable her game translates onto the grass and Amanda Anisimova has battled through the draw where so many other Seeds have fallen.
This is going to be a tough Quarter Final against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who has reached the last eight at all four Grand Slams- her run to the Quarter Final here means the World Number 50 has reached the last eight at least twice in three of the four Grand Slams with an opportunity to complete the set at the US Open.
It is the eleventh time Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has reached the Quarter Final at a Grand Slam event, although it should be noted that she has been beaten in nine of the last ten. Experience is one thing, but there will also be pressure on the 34 year old who may feel this open draw is the best opportunity she will have to win a maiden Grand Slam title.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has had to dig deep in the last two Rounds and this match up has proven to be a tough one for her in the past.
All three Tour matches between Pavlyuchenkova and Amanda Anisimova have ended in favour of the younger player, including both matches played in 2024. Those were both hard court matches, but the feeling is that the two players are going to want to challenge one another from the baseline in this one too.
Big serving is key to set things up for the heavy groundstrokes that both players can produce and the tournament numbers suggest Amanda Anisimova has been the more consistent on that front.
Amanda Anisimova will have to come through some tough moments, as she has in each of the last two Rounds, but the younger, fresher player may just out-hit Anastasia Pavyluchenkova again. In the two wins over this opponent last year, Amanda Anisimova was the superior server and her performances over the last month may just see her come through with a win and a cover.
MY PICKS: Taylor Fritz - 1.5 Sets @ 1.66 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Amanda Anisimova - 3.5 Games @ 1.87 Bet Victor (2 Units)
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