Taylor Fritz credits girlfriend Morgan Riddle after Wimbledon win sends him to semifinal

LONDON (AP) — Morgan knows best, apparently.

Taylor Fritz thought the motivational note he wrote to himself after losing at Wimbledon four years ago would stay private. His girlfriend, influencer Morgan Riddle, later shared it on social media.

"That note was never supposed to be public,” a smiling Fritz said after his 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) win over Karen Khachanov set up a semifinal meeting with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Fritz had written to himself in the note that “nobody in the whole world is underachieving harder than you” and urged himself to get his act together.

Not only does Fritz forgive Riddle, he also credits her for having such a big impact on him rising to No. 5 in the world rankings in pursuit of his first Grand Slam title.

“There’s been a pretty constant results-and-ranking rise since we’ve been together,” Fritz said. "I think I would have to say she's been a big help to me just kind of keeping me focused, having someone who cares and just pushes you to just do better and do the right things, be healthier.

"Almost like kind of just mother me in a way," he added, chuckling to himself, “with like, the diet and going to sleep on time.”

A smiling Fritz later added: “Yeah, that maybe wasn’t the best choice of words.”

The 27-year-old American, who was the runner-up at last year’s U.S. Open, didn't face a break point in the first two sets against No. 17 Khachanov, who rebounded in the third set. It was 4-all in the fourth-set tiebreaker before Fritz claimed the final three points on Court No. 1.

It's the first time Fritz has reached the last four at Wimbledon. He's won two grass-court titles this season — Stuttgart and Eastbourne — and was happy he wouldn't be facing Alcaraz on clay, which would be “an absolute nightmare.”

“Grass is very much so an equalizer. It can be an equalizer. So trust in how I’m playing,” he said. “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.”

The second-seeded Alcaraz is within sight of a Wimbledon three-peat. He extended his winning streak to 23 matches this season by beating Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court.

Alcaraz, who has beaten Novak Djokovic in the past two finals at the All England Club, faced only five break points and saved all of them.

He wants to hit some other greens, though, before he faces Fritz

“For sure I’m going to play some golf, just to switch up my mind a little bit,” Alcaraz said

The 22-year-old Spaniard has been playing golf with Andy Murray during his Wimbledon run.

This time, his opponent could be actor Tom Holland, whom he had run into earlier.

“I would love to play against him in the golf course. For me it would be such an honor. I will try to set it up in these two days that I will have much time to do it. So let’s see if he will be available, and we’ll tee it up.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns to Britain's Cameron Norrie during a quarterfinal men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns to Britain's Cameron Norrie during a quarterfinal men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Taylor Fritz of the U.S. gets medical assistance during the men's singles quarter final match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Morgan Riddle, the girlfriend of Taylor Fritz, arrives to watch the men's singles quarter final match between Taylor Fritz of the U.S. and Karen Khachanov of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates winning the men's singles quarter final match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Tuesday, July 8, 2025.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)