Shelton beats Fritz in Stuttgart for 1st grass title

Ben Shelton beat Taylor Fritz to win his first grass-court title at the Stuttgart Open, taking the all-American final and snapping Fritz’s run as defending champion. Fritz had earlier beaten Alexander Bublik in Stuttgart to reach the final, while Shelton had already beaten him in a previous meeting in the grass swing. In Halle, Fritz then answered by edging Shelton in a match without a break of serve, showing how tight their head-to-head has become on grass. Alexander Zverev also moved past Raphael Collignon in Halle and set up a rematch with Fritz after a 10th straight win and a new outright record beyond Rafael Nadal’s mark.