Tylor Fritz overcomes Alexander Zverev to clinch Stuttgart Open title

STUTTGART: Taylor Fritz clinched his first title of the 2025 season with a 6-3, 7-6(0) victory over top seed Alexander Zverev here at centre court in the Stuttgart Open final on Sunday.

Fritz, who knocked out Zverev in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, won the opening set comfortably after leading 3-2, without facing a breakpoint. 

In the second set the German played aggressively which pushed Fritz on the back foot, second seed broke for a 5-3 lead after Zverev double-faulted twice and missed a volley at the net.

The set was settled by a tiebreak, where Fritz was perfect and Zverev even failed to win a point.

The 28-year-old Zverev is yet to win a title on grass, a surface he has long struggled on. The three-times Grand Slam finalist has never moved beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Fritz has now extended his winning streak against the German to five matches.

Fritz showed his class at the ATP 250 tournament in Germany, winning the title without being broken or losing a single set, the first man to achieve the feat since Mpetshi Perricard in October 2023.

It was Fritz's ninth career title, fourth on grass, and he is expected to move fourth in the rankings ahead of Wimbledon, which begins on June 30. 

On Monday, after the rankings update, there will be three Americans in the top 10 — Fritz, Tommy Paul at No. 8, and Ben Shelton at No. 10 — for the first time since April 17, 2006.