Jordan Thompson has continued his late-career breakthrough season by powering past American number one Taylor Fritz into a semifinal at the Queen’s Club Championships in west London.

Thompson was matched by compatriot Ajla Tomljanović, who reached the last four at the Birmingham Classic. 

The blossoming Australian stalwart, flourishing on his favourite grass-court surface, defeated world number 12 Fritz 6–4, 6–3 in their Friday quarterfinal for one of his best wins of an increasingly notable 2024 campaign.

Reaching his first-ever last-four appearance at ATP 500 level, the delighted Sydneysider smiled afterwards: “I’m getting old now, it just goes to show that if you stick at it long enough, you can keep improving, whatever age you are, and I feel like I’m getting better.”

Thompson, who won his first ATP tournament title after 11 years on the circuit in Mexico in April, has emerged refreshed after a dismal clay-court spell for an impressive assault on the title at the sport’s biggest grass-court event outside Wimbledon.

Already having accounted for world number 15 Holger Rune and local hero Andy Murray, who had to retire early with injury, Thompson quite outplayed Fritz, who had won their two previous encounters.

The American looked thoroughly out of sorts, struggling with his footing a little and slipping a couple of times as Thompson led him a merry dance with his superior grass-court nous, emerging victorious after less than 80 minutes.

Thompson, the world number 43, is enjoying such a good run that a place as one of the 32 seeds at Wimbledon is not out of the question as he looks forward to a semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti, conqueror of Aussie number one Alex de Minaur earlier in the week, after the Italian beat British wildcard Billy Harris 6–3, 7–5.